#VU90078 Use-after-free in Linux kernel - CVE-2023-52801

Vulnerability identifier: #VU90078

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-2023-52801

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 within the iopt_area_split() function in drivers/iommu/iommufd/io_pagetable.c. A local user can escalate privileges on the system.

Mitigation
Install update from vendor's website.

Vulnerable software versions

Linux kernel: 6.5, 6.5 rc1, 6.5 rc5, 6.5 rc7, 6.5.1, 6.5.2, 6.5.3, 6.5.4, 6.5.5, 6.5.6, 6.5.7, 6.5.8, 6.5.9, 6.5.10, 6.5.11, 6.5.12, 6.6, 6.6 rc1, 6.6 rc2, 6.6 rc3, 6.6 rc4, 6.6 rc5, 6.6 rc6, 6.6.1, 6.6.2, 6.7 rc1, 6.7 rc2, 6.7 rc3, 6.7 rc5, 6.7 rc6, 6.7 rc7

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External links
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/836db2e7e4565d8218923b3552304a1637e2f28d
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/fcb32111f01ddf3cbd04644cde1773428e31de6a
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/e7250ab7ca4998fe026f2149805b03e09dc32498
https://mirrors.edge.kernel.org/pub/linux/kernel/v6.x/ChangeLog-6.5.13
https://mirrors.edge.kernel.org/pub/linux/kernel/v6.x/ChangeLog-6.6.3
https://mirrors.edge.kernel.org/pub/linux/kernel/v6.x/ChangeLog-6.7

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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.