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Linux KernelOperating system · Linux

CVE-2023-53341

MEDIUM · 5.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2025-09-17
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 6.0.19 / 6.1.5 or later.
See remediation →
57/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
Zero-click Patch available

Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.

NVD · unedited
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: of/fdt: run soc memory setup when early_init_dt_scan_memory fails If memory has been found early_init_dt_scan_memory now returns 1. If it hasn't found any memory it will return 0, allowing other memory setup mechanisms to carry on. Previously early_init_dt_scan_memory always returned 0 without distinguishing between any kind of memory setup being done or not. Any code path after the early_init_dt_scan memory call in the ramips plat_mem_setup code wouldn't be executed anymore. Making early_init_dt_scan_memory the only way to initialize the memory. Some boards, including my mt7621 based Cudy X6 board, depend on memory initialization being done via the soc_info.mem_detect function pointer. Those wouldn't be able to obtain memory and panic the kernel during early bootup with the message "early_init_dt_alloc_memory_arch: Failed to allocate 12416 bytes align=0x40".

Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.

dbcve analysis
How this class of weakness works · CWE-908

Memory or a resource is used before it has been initialised, so its contents are whatever happened to be there — sometimes leaking earlier data, sometimes values an attacker can influence. Behaviour becomes unpredictable and occasionally exploitable. Remediation is initialising every resource before use and ensuring initialisation happens on all code paths.

General guidance for the use of uninitialized resource class — the official description and references above are authoritative for this specific CVE. Want a bespoke review and a reviewed fix? Ask our team →

Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.

NVD · CPE data
Linux KernelOperating system
Affected:>= 5.17, < 6.0.19>= 6.1, < 6.1.5= 6.2

CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.

From the vector
Attack vector
Local
Complexity
Low
Privileges
Low
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
None
Integrity
None
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H

Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.

dbcve · scoped
Upgrade available Upgrade to 6.0.19 / 6.1.5 or later
Fixed in 6.0.196.1.5
Vendor patch git.kernel.org →
Recommended fix High confidence

Upgrade to Linux kernel 6.0.19 (for 6.0.x systems), 6.1.5 (for 6.1.x systems), or 6.2.1 or later (for 6.2 systems). Use your distribution's package manager (e.g., `apt-get install linux-image-<version>`, `yum update kernel`, or `dnf upgrade kernel`) to obtain the patched kernel.

  1. Identify your current kernel version using `uname -r` or `cat /proc/version`
  2. Determine which major kernel series you are running (5.17-6.0.x, 6.1.x, or 6.2)
  3. For systems running kernel 6.0.x (versions >= 6.0 and < 6.0.19): Upgrade to kernel version 6.0.19 or later
  4. For systems running kernel 6.1.x (versions >= 6.1 and < 6.1.5): Upgrade to kernel version 6.1.5 or later
  5. For systems running kernel 6.2: Upgrade to kernel 6.2.1 or later (the next stable release after 6.2)
  6. Reboot the system to apply the new kernel
  7. Verify the fix is applied by checking the kernel version matches or exceeds the fixed version
Caveat Kernel upgrades may require rebooting and could have compatibility implications with custom kernel modules or specific hardware configurations. Ensure backups and test in a staging environment if possible.

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

We can perform the upgrade in your staging environment and verify nothing breaks — typical engagement from $1,600. Get the upgrade done

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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2023-53341 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

What belongs here
  • Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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