CVE-2023-52987
📋 TL;DR
This CVE describes an array underflow vulnerability in the Linux kernel's Sound Open Firmware (SOF) subsystem. An attacker with local access can trigger memory corruption by providing a specially crafted 'id' value to the sof_ipc4_priority_mask_dfs_write() function. This affects systems running vulnerable Linux kernel versions with SOF enabled.
💻 Affected Systems
- Linux kernel with Sound Open Firmware (SOF) subsystem
📦 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 →⚠️ 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
Local privilege escalation allowing an unprivileged user to gain root access on the affected system.
If Mitigated
System crash or instability requiring reboot if exploit attempts are blocked by security controls.
🎯 Exploit Status
Requires local access and knowledge of kernel exploitation techniques. The vulnerability is in a specific IPC4 message handler function.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: Linux kernel versions containing commits d52f34784e4e2f6e77671a9f104d8a69a3b5d24c and ea57680af47587397f5005d7758022441ed66d54
Vendor Advisory: https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/d52f34784e4e2f6e77671a9f104d8a69a3b5d24c
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Update Linux kernel to patched version from your distribution's repositories. 2. Reboot the system to load the new kernel. 3. Verify the kernel version after reboot.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Disable SOF subsystem
allRemove or disable the Sound Open Firmware subsystem if not required
echo 'blacklist snd-sof' >> /etc/modprobe.d/blacklist.conf
rmmod snd-sof
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Restrict local user access to essential personnel only
- Implement strict privilege separation and use SELinux/AppArmor to limit kernel access
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check kernel version and if SOF modules are loaded: uname -r && lsmod | grep snd-sofCheck Version:
uname -rVerify Fix Applied:
Verify kernel version is after the fix commits and test system stability with audio operations📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Kernel oops messages
- System crashes during audio operations
- Unexpected privilege escalation attempts
Network Indicators:
- None - this is a local vulnerability
SIEM Query:
source="kernel" AND ("oops" OR "panic") AND ("snd-sof" OR "sof_ipc4")