CVE-2023-52914
📋 TL;DR
A memory leak vulnerability in the Linux kernel's io_uring subsystem can cause request leaks when poll operations cannot complete inline. This affects Linux systems using io_uring for asynchronous I/O operations, potentially leading to resource exhaustion and system instability.
💻 Affected Systems
- Linux kernel
📦 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 →⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Complete system stall or denial of service due to resource exhaustion, preventing ring exit processes and potentially requiring system reboot.
Likely Case
Gradual performance degradation and eventual system instability as leaked requests accumulate over time.
If Mitigated
Minimal impact if systems are regularly rebooted or have resource limits configured.
🎯 Exploit Status
Requires ability to trigger specific io_uring poll operations that cannot complete inline. Likely requires local access or compromised application.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: Patches available in stable kernel trees via provided git commits
Vendor Advisory: https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/4ad6c063541665c407d17e1faf2fe4f04e947dcc
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Update Linux kernel to patched version from distribution vendor. 2. Apply specific patches: 4ad6c063541665c407d17e1faf2fe4f04e947dcc or febb985c06cb6f5fac63598c0bffd4fd823d110d. 3. Reboot system to load new kernel.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Disable io_uring
linuxPrevent use of io_uring subsystem if not required
echo 'blacklist io_uring' > /etc/modprobe.d/blacklist-io_uring.conf
update-initramfs -u
reboot
Limit io_uring usage
linuxRestrict applications that can use io_uring functionality
Use seccomp or AppArmor to block io_uring syscalls for untrusted applications
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Monitor system resources and restart if memory usage grows abnormally
- Disable or restrict applications using io_uring poll operations
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check kernel version and compare with patched versions from distribution vendor. Check if io_uring is in use: 'lsmod | grep io_uring'Check Version:
uname -rVerify Fix Applied:
Verify kernel version after update matches patched version. Check git commit history includes the fix commits.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Kernel oops messages related to io_uring
- Increasing memory usage without corresponding process growth
- System performance degradation logs
Network Indicators:
- None - local vulnerability only
SIEM Query:
source="kernel" AND ("io_uring" OR "poll") AND ("panic" OR "oops" OR "BUG")