CVE-2023-54078

Vulnerability

Analysis

CVE-2023-54078 is a memory leak vulnerability in the Linux kernel's max9286 driver, which is part of the media subsystem and used for GMSL deserializers. The issue arises because the control handler is not properly freed in certain error paths during the probe function, as well as in the remove function. This means that when the driver fails to initialize correctly or is unloaded, the allocated control handler remains allocated, causing a memory leak. The commit references indicate that the fix ensures the control handler is freed in all necessary paths [1][2].

Exploitation

Context

The vulnerability is triggered during driver probe-time errors or removal, and it does not require any specific authentication or special network position to exploit, as it is a local issue that can be triggered by device hot-unplug or driver unbind operations. An attacker with local access and the ability to trigger such scenarios could cause a kernel memory leak, potentially leading to resource exhaustion over time.

Impact

If exploited, the memory leak can gradually deplete kernel memory, which may lead to denial of service (DoS) conditions, such as system instability or crashes, especially under repeated probe/remove cycles. There is no indication of code execution or privilege escalation impact reported for this vulnerability.

Mitigation

The fix is available in the Linux kernel stable repository, with commits that address the leak by properly freeing the control handler in error and remove paths. Users are advised to apply the kernel updates that include these commits to prevent the vulnerability. There is no evidence that this vulnerability is being exploited in the wild or has been added to CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog.