CVE-2023-53069

Q: What is the severity of CVE-2023-53069?

CVE-2023-53069 has a CVSS score of 5.5 (MEDIUM). This CVE describes a memory leak vulnerability in the Linux kernel's octeontx2-vf driver where allocated percpu memory is not properly freed. This affects systems using Marvell OcteonTX2 network adapters with virtual function support. The vulnerability could lead to gradual memory exhaustion over time.

5.5 MEDIUM

📋 TL;DR

This CVE describes a memory leak vulnerability in the Linux kernel's octeontx2-vf driver where allocated percpu memory is not properly freed. This affects systems using Marvell OcteonTX2 network adapters with virtual function support. The vulnerability could lead to gradual memory exhaustion over time.

💻 Affected Systems

Products:

Linux kernel with octeontx2-vf driver

Versions: Linux kernel versions containing the vulnerable octeontx2-vf driver code prior to fixes

Operating Systems: Linux distributions using affected kernel versions

Default Config Vulnerable: ⚠️ Yes

Notes: Only affects systems with Marvell OcteonTX2 network adapters using virtual functions. Physical function driver was already fixed.

📦 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...

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⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact

🔴

Worst Case

Continuous exploitation could lead to kernel memory exhaustion, causing system instability, denial of service, or potential kernel crashes.

🟠

Likely Case

Gradual memory consumption over time leading to performance degradation and eventual system instability requiring reboot.

🟢

If Mitigated

With proper monitoring and timely patching, impact is limited to minor performance issues before remediation.

🌐 Internet-Facing: LOW - This requires local access or ability to trigger the specific driver functionality, not directly exploitable over network.

🏢 Internal Only: MEDIUM - Local users or processes with appropriate permissions could trigger the memory leak, potentially affecting system stability.

🎯 Exploit Status

Public PoC: ✅ No

Weaponized: NO

Unauthenticated Exploit: ✅ No

Complexity: LOW

Exploitation requires triggering the specific driver code path that allocates the percpu memory without freeing it.

🛠️ Fix & Mitigation

✅ Official Fix

Patch Version: Linux kernel versions with commits 813b590840771890c738ce6dbfd0c5938a1bafb9, 840631bcf21f58c0a3f01378a54d79e9ce86b226, 90874b76e5f82eaa3309714d72ff2cd8bb8d1b02, f038f3917baf04835ba2b7bcf2a04ac93fbf8a9c

Vendor Advisory: https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/813b590840771890c738ce6dbfd0c5938a1bafb9

Restart Required: Yes

Instructions:

1. Update Linux kernel to patched version. 2. Reboot system to load new kernel. 3. Verify driver is using patched code.

🔧 Temporary Workarounds

Disable octeontx2-vf driver

linux

Prevent loading of vulnerable driver module

echo 'blacklist octeontx2_vf' >> /etc/modprobe.d/blacklist.conf
rmmod octeontx2_vf

Monitor memory usage

linux

Implement aggressive memory monitoring to detect leaks early

# Set up monitoring with tools like atop, htop, or custom scripts

🧯 If You Can't Patch

Implement strict memory monitoring and alerting for systems using octeontx2-vf driver
Schedule regular system reboots to clear accumulated memory leaks

🔍 How to Verify

Check if Vulnerable:

Check if octeontx2_vf driver is loaded: lsmod | grep octeontx2_vf

Check Version:

uname -r

Verify Fix Applied:

Check kernel version and verify it includes the fix commits: uname -r and review kernel changelog

📡 Detection & Monitoring

Log Indicators:

Kernel oom-killer messages
System memory exhaustion warnings
Driver loading/unloading logs

Network Indicators:

Performance degradation on affected network interfaces

SIEM Query:

source="kernel" AND ("out of memory" OR "oom-killer") AND process="octeontx2_vf"

📊 Metadata

CVE ID: CVE-2023-53069

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: 0.02% exploit probability (6th percentile)

Published: May 2, 2025

Last Updated: November 12, 2025

📋 TL;DR

💻 Affected Systems

📦 What is this software?

Linux Kernel by Linux

Linux Kernel by Linux

Linux Kernel by Linux

Linux Kernel by Linux

Linux Kernel by Linux

Linux Kernel by Linux

Linux Kernel by Linux

Linux Kernel by Linux

Linux Kernel by Linux

Linux Kernel by Linux

Linux Kernel by Linux

Linux Kernel by Linux

Linux Kernel by Linux

⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact

Worst Case

Likely Case

If Mitigated

🎯 Exploit Status

🛠️ Fix & Mitigation

✅ Official Fix

Instructions:

🔧 Temporary Workarounds

Disable octeontx2-vf driver

Monitor memory usage

🧯 If You Can't Patch

🔍 How to Verify

Check if Vulnerable:

Check Version:

Verify Fix Applied:

📡 Detection & Monitoring

Log Indicators:

Network Indicators:

SIEM Query:

📊 Metadata

🔗 References

📤 Share & Export

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