CVE-2023-54231

Vulnerability

Description

In the Linux kernel's net/libwx driver, the function wx_setup_rx_resources() allocates DMA buffers for RX rings. If the subsequent call to wx_alloc_page_pool() fails, the previously allocated DMA buffer is not freed, resulting in a memory leak [1].

Exploitation

The vulnerability is triggered during RX resource setup when memory allocation for the page pool fails. An attacker would need to cause memory pressure or otherwise trigger the error path, potentially leading to resource exhaustion. No special privileges are required beyond the ability to trigger the driver's initialization.

Impact

The memory leak can lead to depletion of DMA memory, potentially causing system instability or denial of service. The fix adds a dma_free_coherent() call in the error path to release the buffer.

Mitigation

The fix has been applied in the Linux kernel stable tree. Users should update to a patched kernel version to prevent the leak.