CVE-2023-52648 – This is a null pointer dereference vulnerabilit... (How to Fix)

Q: What is the severity of CVE-2023-52648?

CVE-2023-52648 has a CVSS score of 5.5 (MEDIUM). This is a null pointer dereference vulnerability in the Linux kernel's VMware graphics driver (vmwgfx). When switching plane states during cursor operations, the driver fails to reset a surface mapping flag after unreferencing surfaces, leading to crashes when the system attempts to clean up non-existent surfaces. This primarily affects Linux systems using VMware virtual machines with Wayland display servers and KDE KWin 6.0.

📋 TL;DR

This is a null pointer dereference vulnerability in the Linux kernel's VMware graphics driver (vmwgfx). When switching plane states during cursor operations, the driver fails to reset a surface mapping flag after unreferencing surfaces, leading to crashes when the system attempts to clean up non-existent surfaces. This primarily affects Linux systems using VMware virtual machines with Wayland display servers and KDE KWin 6.0.

💻 Affected Systems

Products:

Linux kernel with vmwgfx driver

Versions: Linux kernel versions before the fix (specifically affects 6.7.0-rc3 and earlier versions with vulnerable vmwgfx code)

Operating Systems: Linux distributions using affected kernel versions

Default Config Vulnerable: ⚠️ Yes

Notes: Requires VMware virtual machine with 3D acceleration enabled and Wayland display server with KDE KWin 6.0. The vulnerability is triggered during cursor plane state changes.

📦 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

Kernel panic leading to system crash and denial of service, potentially causing data loss or service disruption.

🟠

Likely Case

Application crashes (specifically KDE KWin 6.0 on Wayland) when performing cursor operations, resulting in temporary loss of graphical interface functionality.

🟢

If Mitigated

Minor application instability that recovers automatically or requires user restart of affected applications.

🌐 Internet-Facing: LOW - This is a local kernel vulnerability requiring access to the graphical subsystem.

🏢 Internal Only: MEDIUM - Can cause system instability for users running affected configurations, particularly in virtualized environments.

🎯 Exploit Status

Public PoC: ✅ No

Weaponized: NO

Unauthenticated Exploit: ✅ No

Complexity: MEDIUM

Exploitation requires local access and ability to trigger cursor plane state changes. The crash is triggered during normal graphical operations rather than through malicious payloads.

🛠️ Fix & Mitigation

✅ Official Fix

Patch Version: Linux kernel with commit 0a23f95af7f28dae7c0f7c82578ca5e1a239d461 or later

Vendor Advisory: https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/0a23f95af7f28dae7c0f7c82578ca5e1a239d461

Restart Required: Yes

Instructions:

1. Update Linux kernel to version containing the fix. 2. For distributions: Use package manager (apt/yum/dnf) to update kernel. 3. Reboot system to load new kernel. 4. Verify kernel version with 'uname -r'.

🔧 Temporary Workarounds

Disable 3D acceleration in VMware

linux

Disable 3D graphics acceleration in VMware settings to avoid using vulnerable vmwgfx driver paths

In VMware VM settings: Display > 3D Graphics > Uncheck 'Accelerate 3D graphics'

Switch to X11 display server

linux

Use X11 instead of Wayland to avoid the specific crash scenario in KDE KWin

At login screen: Select 'Plasma (X11)' instead of 'Plasma (Wayland)'

🧯 If You Can't Patch

Avoid using KDE KWin 6.0 with Wayland on affected VMware virtual machines
Implement monitoring for kernel crashes related to vmwgfx driver and have recovery procedures ready

🔍 How to Verify

Check if Vulnerable:

Check kernel version and if using VMware with 3D acceleration: 'uname -r' and check if version is before fix. Also check if running KDE KWin 6.0 on Wayland.

Check Version:

uname -r

Verify Fix Applied:

After kernel update, verify the fix is present: 'grep -r '0a23f95af7f28dae7c0f7c82578ca5e1a239d461' /usr/src/linux-headers-$(uname -r)/' or check kernel changelog.

📡 Detection & Monitoring

Log Indicators:

Kernel panic messages containing 'vmw_du_cursor_plane_cleanup_fb'
System logs showing KDE KWin crashes
dmesg output with null pointer dereference in vmwgfx module

Network Indicators:

None - this is a local vulnerability

SIEM Query:

source="kernel" AND ("vmw_du_cursor_plane_cleanup_fb" OR "vmwgfx" AND "null pointer")

📊 Metadata

CVE ID: CVE-2023-52648

CVSS v3 Score: 5.5 (MEDIUM)

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

CWE: CWE-476

Published: May 1, 2024

Last Updated: September 18, 2025

🔗 References

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🔗 Related Vulnerabilities

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