CVE-2023-52624
📋 TL;DR
A race condition vulnerability in the Linux kernel's AMD display driver where the DMCUB (Display Microcontroller Unit) can be in idle state when GPINT commands are executed, causing a system hang. This affects Linux systems with AMD graphics hardware. The vulnerability allows denial of service attacks.
💻 Affected Systems
- Linux kernel with AMD display driver (drm/amd/display)
📦 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 →⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Complete system hang requiring hard reboot, potentially causing data loss or service disruption.
Likely Case
System instability or temporary unresponsiveness when display operations are performed.
If Mitigated
Minor performance impact with proper patching, no security risk.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires triggering specific display operations while DMCUB is idle. Likely requires local access or ability to execute privileged display commands.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: Linux kernel with commits 2ef98c6d753a744e333b7e34b9cf687040fba57d and e5ffd1263dd5b44929c676171802e7b6af483f21
Vendor Advisory: https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/2ef98c6d753a744e333b7e34b9cf687040fba57d
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Update Linux kernel to version containing the fix commits. 2. For distributions: Use package manager (apt/yum/dnf) to update kernel. 3. Reboot system to load new kernel.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Disable AMD graphics acceleration
linuxPrevents use of vulnerable DMCUB functionality by disabling hardware acceleration
echo 'blacklist amdgpu' >> /etc/modprobe.d/blacklist.conf
update-initramfs -u
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Restrict local user access to systems with AMD graphics
- Monitor system logs for display-related hangs or crashes
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check kernel version and if AMD graphics driver is loaded: lsmod | grep amdgpu && uname -rCheck Version:
uname -rVerify Fix Applied:
Verify kernel version includes fix commits: git log --oneline | grep -E '2ef98c6d753a|e5ffd1263dd5'📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Kernel panic messages
- Display driver timeouts in dmesg
- System hang events in system logs
Network Indicators:
- None - local vulnerability
SIEM Query:
source="kernel" AND ("panic" OR "hang" OR "DMCUB" OR "GPINT")