CVE-2023-52829
📋 TL;DR
This CVE describes an out-of-bounds write vulnerability in the Linux kernel's ath12k WiFi driver. An attacker could potentially write arbitrary data to kernel memory by sending a specially crafted WMI event with an invalid phy_id value. This affects systems running Linux kernels with the ath12k driver enabled.
💻 Affected Systems
- Linux kernel with ath12k 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 →⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Kernel memory corruption leading to privilege escalation, denial of service, or arbitrary code execution with kernel privileges.
Likely Case
Kernel panic or system crash causing denial of service, potentially requiring physical access or reboot to recover.
If Mitigated
No impact if the vulnerability is patched or the ath12k driver is not in use.
🎯 Exploit Status
Found during code review, requires ability to send WMI events to the driver. No public exploits known at this time.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: Kernel versions containing commits 4dd0547e8b45faf6f95373be5436b66cde326c0e, b302dce3d9edea5b93d1902a541684a967f3c63c, or dfe13eaab043130f90dd3d57c7d88577c04adc97
Vendor Advisory: https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/4dd0547e8b45faf6f95373be5436b66cde326c0e
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Update Linux kernel to version containing the fix commits. 2. Rebuild kernel if compiling from source. 3. Reboot system to load patched kernel.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Disable ath12k driver
linuxPrevent loading of the vulnerable ath12k WiFi driver module
echo 'blacklist ath12k' >> /etc/modprobe.d/blacklist-ath12k.conf
rmmod ath12k
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Disable or remove ath12k WiFi hardware if present
- Implement strict access controls to prevent unauthorized local users from interacting with WiFi interfaces
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check if ath12k module is loaded: lsmod | grep ath12k. If loaded, check kernel version against patched versions.Check Version:
uname -rVerify Fix Applied:
Verify kernel version includes fix commits and ath12k module loads without errors in dmesg.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Kernel panic messages
- ath12k driver crash logs in dmesg
- Out of bounds memory access warnings
Network Indicators:
- Unusual WiFi driver behavior
- Unexpected WMI events
SIEM Query:
source="kernel" AND ("ath12k" OR "out of bounds" OR "kernel panic")🔗 References
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/4dd0547e8b45faf6f95373be5436b66cde326c0e
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/b302dce3d9edea5b93d1902a541684a967f3c63c
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/dfe13eaab043130f90dd3d57c7d88577c04adc97
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/4dd0547e8b45faf6f95373be5436b66cde326c0e
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/b302dce3d9edea5b93d1902a541684a967f3c63c
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/dfe13eaab043130f90dd3d57c7d88577c04adc97
