CVE-2023-52747 – This CVE describes a memory leak vulnerability ... (How to Fix)

Q: What is the severity of CVE-2023-52747?

CVE-2023-52747 has a CVSS score of 5.5 (MEDIUM). This CVE describes a memory leak vulnerability in the Linux kernel's InfiniBand hfi1 driver. When an error occurs during a copyout operation, the driver fails to properly release allocated resources, potentially leading to resource exhaustion. This affects systems using Intel Omni-Path hardware with the hfi1 driver loaded.

📋 TL;DR

This CVE describes a memory leak vulnerability in the Linux kernel's InfiniBand hfi1 driver. When an error occurs during a copyout operation, the driver fails to properly release allocated resources, potentially leading to resource exhaustion. This affects systems using Intel Omni-Path hardware with the hfi1 driver loaded.

💻 Affected Systems

Products:

Linux kernel with hfi1 driver

Versions: Kernel versions before the fix commits (specific versions vary by distribution)

Operating Systems: Linux distributions using affected kernel versions

Default Config Vulnerable: ✅ No

Notes: Only vulnerable when Intel Omni-Path hardware is present and hfi1 driver is loaded/used.

📦 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 →

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 →

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

Sustained exploitation could lead to kernel memory exhaustion, causing system instability, denial of service, or kernel panic.

🟠

Likely Case

Resource leak gradually consumes kernel memory, potentially leading to performance degradation or system instability over time.

🟢

If Mitigated

With proper monitoring and resource limits, impact is limited to potential performance issues before system intervention.

🌐 Internet-Facing: LOW - Requires local access or specialized hardware to trigger the vulnerable code path.

🏢 Internal Only: MEDIUM - Internal users with access to InfiniBand hardware could potentially trigger the vulnerability.

🎯 Exploit Status

Public PoC: ✅ No

Weaponized: NO

Unauthenticated Exploit: ✅ No

Complexity: HIGH

Exploitation requires specific hardware (Intel Omni-Path) and triggering error conditions in the copyout operation.

🛠️ Fix & Mitigation

✅ Official Fix

Patch Version: Kernel versions containing the fix commits (00d9e212b8a39e6ffcf31b9d2e503d2bf6009d45 and related)

Vendor Advisory: https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/00d9e212b8a39e6ffcf31b9d2e503d2bf6009d45

Restart Required: Yes

Instructions:

1. Update Linux kernel to patched version from your distribution. 2. Reboot system to load new kernel. 3. Verify hfi1 driver is functioning correctly.

🔧 Temporary Workarounds

Unload hfi1 driver

linux

Remove the vulnerable driver if InfiniBand functionality is not required

sudo modprobe -r hfi1

Blacklist hfi1 driver

linux

Prevent hfi1 driver from loading at boot

echo 'blacklist hfi1' | sudo tee /etc/modprobe.d/blacklist-hfi1.conf

🧯 If You Can't Patch

Monitor system memory usage and kernel logs for signs of resource exhaustion
Implement strict access controls to limit who can use InfiniBand hardware

🔍 How to Verify

Check if Vulnerable:

Check if hfi1 module is loaded: lsmod | grep hfi1 AND check kernel version against patched versions

Check Version:

uname -r

Verify Fix Applied:

Verify kernel version is updated and hfi1 module loads without errors in dmesg

📡 Detection & Monitoring

Log Indicators:

Kernel oom-killer messages
Memory allocation failures in dmesg
hfi1 driver error messages

Network Indicators:

Unusual InfiniBand traffic patterns if exploited

SIEM Query:

source="kernel" AND ("oom-killer" OR "hfi1" AND "error" OR "allocation failure")

📊 Metadata

CVE ID: CVE-2023-52747

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-401

Published: May 21, 2024

Last Updated: September 23, 2025

🔗 References

📤 Share & Export

📄 Export Markdown 📋 Export JSON

🔗 Related Vulnerabilities

If you're affected by CVE-2023-52747, you might also want to check these: