CVE-2023-52501 – A race condition vulnerability in the Linux ker... (How to Fix)

Q: What is the severity of CVE-2023-52501?

CVE-2023-52501 has a CVSS score of 7.1 (HIGH). A race condition vulnerability in the Linux kernel's ring buffer subsystem allows a malicious process to corrupt kernel memory when reading trace events. This affects all Linux systems using the ring buffer for tracing functionality, potentially leading to system crashes or privilege escalation.

📋 TL;DR

A race condition vulnerability in the Linux kernel's ring buffer subsystem allows a malicious process to corrupt kernel memory when reading trace events. This affects all Linux systems using the ring buffer for tracing functionality, potentially leading to system crashes or privilege escalation.

💻 Affected Systems

Products:

Linux kernel

Versions: Specific affected versions not explicitly stated in CVE; check kernel commit history for vulnerable code

Operating Systems: All Linux distributions

Default Config Vulnerable: ⚠️ Yes

Notes: Requires ring buffer tracing to be active; many systems have this enabled by default for debugging/tracing.

📦 What is this software?

Linux Kernel by Linux

The Linux Kernel is the core component of the Linux operating system, serving as the critical interface between computer hardware and software processes. As the heart of millions of servers, cloud infrastructure, embedded systems, Android devices, and IoT deployments worldwide, the Linux Kernel mana...

Learn more about Linux Kernel →

Linux Kernel by Linux

The Linux Kernel is the core component of the Linux operating system, serving as the critical interface between computer hardware and software processes. As the heart of millions of servers, cloud infrastructure, embedded systems, Android devices, and IoT deployments worldwide, the Linux Kernel mana...

Learn more about Linux Kernel →

Linux Kernel by Linux

The Linux Kernel is the core component of the Linux operating system, serving as the critical interface between computer hardware and software processes. As the heart of millions of servers, cloud infrastructure, embedded systems, Android devices, and IoT deployments worldwide, the Linux Kernel mana...

Learn more about Linux Kernel →

Linux Kernel by Linux

The Linux Kernel is the core component of the Linux operating system, serving as the critical interface between computer hardware and software processes. As the heart of millions of servers, cloud infrastructure, embedded systems, Android devices, and IoT deployments worldwide, the Linux Kernel mana...

Learn more about Linux Kernel →

Linux Kernel by Linux

The Linux Kernel is the core component of the Linux operating system, serving as the critical interface between computer hardware and software processes. As the heart of millions of servers, cloud infrastructure, embedded systems, Android devices, and IoT deployments worldwide, the Linux Kernel mana...

Learn more about Linux Kernel →

⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact

🔴

Worst Case

Kernel panic leading to denial of service, or potential privilege escalation if an attacker can control the corrupted memory region.

🟠

Likely Case

System instability, kernel crashes, or denial of service affecting system availability.

🟢

If Mitigated

Minimal impact if systems don't use ring buffer tracing or have proper isolation between processes.

🌐 Internet-Facing: LOW - Requires local access to exploit; not directly exploitable over network.

🏢 Internal Only: MEDIUM - Local attackers could crash systems or potentially escalate privileges on vulnerable kernels.

🎯 Exploit Status

Public PoC: ✅ No

Weaponized: UNKNOWN

Unauthenticated Exploit: ✅ No

Complexity: MEDIUM

Requires local access and ability to trigger ring buffer operations; race condition exploitation can be challenging.

🛠️ Fix & Mitigation

✅ Official Fix

Patch Version: Kernel versions with commits: 344f2f3e61a90f0150c754796ec9a17fcaeec03d, 75fc9e99b3a71006720ad1e029db11a4b5c32d4a, 95a404bd60af6c4d9d8db01ad14fe8957ece31ca, b08a4938229dbb530a35c41b83002a1457c6ff49, cee5151c5410e868826b8afecfb356f3799ebea3

Vendor Advisory: https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/344f2f3e61a90f0150c754796ec9a17fcaeec03d

Restart Required: Yes

Instructions:

1. Update Linux kernel to patched version from your distribution. 2. Reboot system to load new kernel. 3. Verify kernel version after reboot.

🔧 Temporary Workarounds

Disable ring buffer tracing

linux

Disable the ring buffer subsystem to prevent exploitation

echo 0 > /sys/kernel/debug/tracing/tracing_on
echo 0 > /sys/kernel/debug/tracing/events/enable

🧯 If You Can't Patch

Implement strict process isolation and limit access to tracing functionality
Monitor system logs for kernel panics or unusual ring buffer activity

🔍 How to Verify

Check if Vulnerable:

Check kernel version and compare with patched commits: uname -r and examine kernel source for vulnerable ring buffer code

Check Version:

uname -r

Verify Fix Applied:

Verify kernel version includes the fix commits: grep -r 'commit.*344f2f3e61a90f0150c754796ec9a17fcaeec03d' /usr/src/linux

📡 Detection & Monitoring

Log Indicators:

Kernel panic messages
Ring buffer corruption warnings in dmesg
System crash/reboot events

Network Indicators:

None - local exploit only

SIEM Query:

source="kernel" AND ("panic" OR "Oops" OR "ring buffer" OR "corruption")

📊 Metadata

CVE ID: CVE-2023-52501

CVSS v3 Score: 7.1 (HIGH)

CVSS Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:H

CWE: CWE-125

Published: March 2, 2024

Last Updated: January 13, 2025

🔗 References

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🔗 Related Vulnerabilities

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