CVE-2023-52517
📋 TL;DR
A race condition in the Linux kernel's SPI driver for Allwinner sun6i processors allows DMA transfers to corrupt data when receiving SPI communications. This affects systems using Allwinner sun6i-based hardware with SPI DMA enabled, potentially causing data corruption in SPI communications.
💻 Affected Systems
- Linux kernel with sun6i SPI driver
📦 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 →⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Critical data corruption in SPI communications could lead to system instability, data loss, or malfunction of SPI-connected devices.
Likely Case
Intermittent data corruption in SPI communications causing unreliable operation of SPI-connected peripherals.
If Mitigated
Minor performance impact from disabling DMA RX mode or using workarounds.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires SPI hardware access and DMA mode configuration. This is a reliability/data corruption issue rather than a security bypass.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: Fixed in kernel commits: 1f11f4202caf5710204d334fe63392052783876d, 36b29974a7ad2ff604c24ad348f940506c7b1209, 4e149d524678431638ff378ef6025e4e89b71097, bd1ec7f9983b5cd3c77e0f7cda3fa8aed041af2f
Vendor Advisory: https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/1f11f4202caf5710204d334fe63392052783876d
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Update Linux kernel to version containing the fix commits. 2. Check your distribution's security advisories for backported patches. 3. Reboot system after kernel update.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Disable SPI DMA RX mode
linuxForce SPI to use interrupt mode instead of DMA mode for RX transfers
echo 0 > /sys/module/spi_sun6i/parameters/use_dma_rx
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Disable SPI DMA RX mode using the workaround command
- Avoid using SPI in DMA mode on affected hardware
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check kernel version and if using Allwinner sun6i processor with SPI DMA enabled: 'uname -r' and check dmesg for SPI DMA usageCheck Version:
uname -rVerify Fix Applied:
Verify kernel version includes fix commits or test SPI DMA transfers for data corruption📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- SPI transfer errors
- DMA timeout messages
- Data corruption in SPI communications
Network Indicators:
- Not applicable - local hardware interface
SIEM Query:
Not applicable for this hardware-level issue🔗 References
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/1f11f4202caf5710204d334fe63392052783876d
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/36b29974a7ad2ff604c24ad348f940506c7b1209
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/4e149d524678431638ff378ef6025e4e89b71097
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/bd1ec7f9983b5cd3c77e0f7cda3fa8aed041af2f
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/1f11f4202caf5710204d334fe63392052783876d
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/36b29974a7ad2ff604c24ad348f940506c7b1209
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/4e149d524678431638ff378ef6025e4e89b71097
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/bd1ec7f9983b5cd3c77e0f7cda3fa8aed041af2f
