CVE-2023-53452 is a medium-severity vulnerability identified in the Linux kernel. The vulnerability arises from a race condition that can occur if the network device (netdev) is registered before NAPI is initialized. If user space starts the netdev in this state, it may lead to a kernel panic, resulting in system instability.
This vulnerability has a CVSS score of 4.7, classified as medium severity. The availability impact is rated as high, which means that successful exploitation could lead to significant disruptions in service. Given the nature of the vulnerability, organizations should prioritize patching to prevent potential exploitation.
Currently, there are no known public exploits associated with this vulnerability, and it is not listed in the Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog. However, the potential for impact requires proactive measures from organizations to secure their systems.
Given the critical nature of the Linux kernel in maintaining system operations, organizations using affected versions should take immediate actions to mitigate risks. The urgency for defenders to address this vulnerability cannot be overstated.
Vulnerability Details
The vulnerability has been described in the context of the Linux kernel as follows: "In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: wifi: rtw89: fix potential race condition between napi_init and napi_enable. A race condition can happen if netdev is registered, but NAPI isn't initialized yet, and meanwhile user space starts the netdev that will enable NAPI. Then, it hits BUG_ON()..."
The vulnerability is classified under CWE-362, indicating a race condition issue. The CVSS vector string for CVE-2023-53452 is CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H, confirming the local attack vector and high attack complexity.
Affected versions include all Linux kernel versions from 5.16 to 6.1.28, as well as 6.2 versions up to 6.2.15 and 6.3 versions up to 6.3.2.
Technical Analysis
The root cause of the vulnerability is attributed to a race condition that arises during the initialization of NAPI (New API for packet processing). The attack vector is local, requiring access to the system where the Linux kernel is operational. The complexity of the attack is rated as high, meaning that an attacker needs to be knowledgeable about the kernel's inner workings.
The privileges required to exploit this vulnerability are low, allowing any user with minimal permissions to potentially trigger the race condition. No user interaction is necessary for the exploitation to succeed.
The impact on availability is high, as the successful exploitation of this vulnerability could lead to a system crash, affecting all services running on the kernel.
Risk & Impact Analysis
Organizations leveraging the Linux kernel in their infrastructure must be aware of the real-world risks posed by CVE-2023-53452. The potential for disruption is significant, particularly in environments where uptime is critical.
The blast radius for this vulnerability encompasses all systems running affected Linux kernel versions, thus the impact can be widespread across organizational networks.
Given the CVSS score of 4.7 and the absence of known public exploits, this vulnerability should still be treated with medium urgency. Organizations should conduct assessments to determine the applicability of the patch and prioritize remediation accordingly.
Signal | Status |
|---|---|
Known Exploit | No |
Public PoC | No |
Actively Exploited | No |
Ransomware Use | No |
Affected Versions
All versions of the Linux kernel prior to the vendor patch are affected. Specifically, the vulnerable versions include:
- Linux kernel versions from 5.16 to 6.1.28
- Linux kernel versions from 6.2 to 6.2.15
- Linux kernel versions from 6.3 to 6.3.2
Mitigation & Remediation
To address this vulnerability, organizations should ensure that they apply the latest patches provided by the Linux kernel maintainers. The following patches are available:
1. Patch for CVE-2023-53452: https://www.appsecure.security/pentesting-as-a-service
2. Ensure that the order of initialization functions is correct during the PCI probe.
3. Implement configuration hardening practices that mitigate the effects of potential race conditions.
Detection Guidance
Organizations should monitor their systems for signs of this vulnerability being exploited. Key indicators to look for include:
- Log entries indicating kernel panics or crashes.
- Unusual network activity related to netdev operations.
AppSecure Threat Intelligence Insight
The presence of CVE-2023-53452 highlights ongoing challenges in ensuring kernel robustness against race conditions. As systems become more complex, maintaining a secure and stable environment requires continuous vigilance.
Security teams should consider investing in penetration testing as a proactive measure to identify potential vulnerabilities before they can be exploited.
Additionally, organizations should engage in regular reviews of their vulnerability management program to ensure timely updates and patches are applied across all systems.
For comprehensive security assessments, organizations can leverage cloud penetration testing to identify vulnerabilities specific to their cloud environments.
Disclaimer: This content was generated using AI. While we strive for accuracy, please verify critical information with official sources.
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