CVE-2023-52989 – This CVE describes a memory leak vulnerability ... (How to Fix)

Q: What is the severity of CVE-2023-52989?

CVE-2023-52989 has a CVSS score of 5.5 (MEDIUM). This CVE describes a memory leak vulnerability in the Linux kernel's FireWire subsystem affecting versions 2.6.33 and later. When multiple user-space applications listen to the IEC 61883-1 FCP region, payload data can be improperly released before all listeners have accessed it, causing memory leaks. Systems using FireWire interfaces with the affected kernel versions are vulnerable.

📋 TL;DR

This CVE describes a memory leak vulnerability in the Linux kernel's FireWire subsystem affecting versions 2.6.33 and later. When multiple user-space applications listen to the IEC 61883-1 FCP region, payload data can be improperly released before all listeners have accessed it, causing memory leaks. Systems using FireWire interfaces with the affected kernel versions are vulnerable.

💻 Affected Systems

Products:

Linux kernel

Versions: v2.6.33 and later versions before the fix

Operating Systems: Linux distributions using affected kernel versions

Default Config Vulnerable: ⚠️ Yes

Notes: Only affects systems with FireWire hardware/interface enabled and in use. Virtual machines without FireWire passthrough are not affected.

📦 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, crashes, or denial of service conditions.

🟠

Likely Case

Gradual memory consumption over time leading to performance degradation and potential system instability.

🟢

If Mitigated

Minimal impact with proper monitoring and memory limits in place.

🌐 Internet-Facing: LOW - FireWire interfaces are typically not internet-facing and require physical or local network access.

🏢 Internal Only: MEDIUM - Internal systems with FireWire devices could be affected, but exploitation requires local access or specific FireWire network configurations.

🎯 Exploit Status

Public PoC: ✅ No

Weaponized: UNKNOWN

Unauthenticated Exploit: ✅ No

Complexity: MEDIUM

Exploitation requires local access and ability to interact with FireWire subsystem. No public exploits known at this time.

🛠️ Fix & Mitigation

✅ Official Fix

Patch Version: Fixed in kernel commits: 356ff89acdbe6a66019154bc7eb2d300f5b15103, 531390a243ef47448f8bad01c186c2787666bf4d, 53785fd9b315583cf029e39f72b73d23704a2253, 5f4543c9382ae2d5062f6aa4fecae0c9258d0b0e, b2cd3947d116bb9ba7ff097b5fc747a8956764db

Vendor Advisory: https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/356ff89acdbe6a66019154bc7eb2d300f5b15103

Restart Required: Yes

Instructions:

1. Update to a kernel version containing the fix commits. 2. Check your distribution's security advisories for patched kernel packages. 3. Reboot the system after kernel update.

🔧 Temporary Workarounds

Disable FireWire module

linux

If FireWire functionality is not required, disable the firewire-core module to prevent exploitation.

echo 'blacklist firewire-core' >> /etc/modprobe.d/blacklist-firewire.conf
rmmod firewire-core

🧯 If You Can't Patch

Disable FireWire hardware in BIOS/UEFI if not needed
Implement strict access controls to limit who can interact with FireWire devices

🔍 How to Verify

Check if Vulnerable:

Check kernel version and if firewire modules are loaded: uname -r && lsmod | grep firewire

Check Version:

uname -r

Verify Fix Applied:

Verify kernel version is patched and check dmesg for firewire module loading without errors

📡 Detection & Monitoring

Log Indicators:

Kernel oom-killer messages
Increasing memory usage in /proc/meminfo
FireWire subsystem errors in dmesg

Network Indicators:

Unusual FireWire network traffic patterns

SIEM Query:

source="kernel" AND ("out of memory" OR "firewire" OR "FCP")

📊 Metadata

CVE ID: CVE-2023-52989

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

EPSS Score: 0.06% exploit probability (19.5th percentile)

Published: March 27, 2025

Last Updated: October 1, 2025

🔗 References

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