#VU82689 Use-after-free in Linux kernel - CVE-2023-45898

Vulnerability identifier: #VU82689

Vulnerability risk: Low

CVSSv4.0: 5.9 [CVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:U/U:Clear]

CVE-ID: CVE-2023-45898

CWE-ID: CWE-416

Exploitation vector: Local

Exploit availability: No

Vulnerable software:
Linux kernel
Operating systems & Components / Operating system

Vendor: Linux Foundation

Description

The vulnerability allows a local user to escalate privileges on the system.

The vulnerability exists due to a use-after-free error in fs/ext4/extents_status.c. A local user can trigger a use-after-free error and execute arbitrary code with elevated privileges.

Mitigation
Install updates from vendor's website.

Vulnerable software versions

Linux kernel: before 6.5.4, 6.5.4

---

External links
https://github.com/torvalds/linux/commit/768d612f79822d30a1e7d132a4d4b05337ce42ec
https://lore.kernel.org/lkml/aa03f191-445c-0d2e-d6d7-0a3208d7df7a@huawei.com/T/
https://www.spinics.net/lists/stable-commits/msg317086.html
https://lkml.org/lkml/2023/8/13/477
https://cdn.kernel.org/pub/linux/kernel/v6.x/ChangeLog-6.5.4

---

Q & A

Can this vulnerability be exploited remotely?

No. This vulnerability can be exploited locally. The attacker should have authentication credentials and successfully authenticate on the system.

Is there known malware, which exploits this vulnerability?

No. We are not aware of malware exploiting this vulnerability.