CVE-2023-53174 – This CVE describes a memory leak vulnerability ... (How to Fix)

Q: What is the severity of CVE-2023-53174?

CVE-2023-53174 has a CVSS score of 5.5 (MEDIUM). This CVE describes a memory leak vulnerability in the Linux kernel's SCSI subsystem. If device_add() fails during SCSI device initialization, the allocated device name isn't properly freed, leading to kernel memory exhaustion over time. This affects all Linux systems using SCSI storage devices.

📋 TL;DR

This CVE describes a memory leak vulnerability in the Linux kernel's SCSI subsystem. If device_add() fails during SCSI device initialization, the allocated device name isn't properly freed, leading to kernel memory exhaustion over time. This affects all Linux systems using SCSI storage devices.

💻 Affected Systems

Products:

Linux kernel

Versions: Specific affected versions not explicitly stated in CVE, but patches exist for multiple stable branches

Operating Systems: Linux distributions using vulnerable kernel versions

Default Config Vulnerable: ⚠️ Yes

Notes: Only affects systems using SCSI storage devices; systems without SCSI devices are not vulnerable

📦 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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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

Repeated exploitation could exhaust kernel memory, causing system instability, crashes, or denial of service through kernel panic.

🟠

Likely Case

Memory leak gradually consumes kernel resources, potentially leading to performance degradation or system instability over extended periods.

🟢

If Mitigated

With proper monitoring and memory limits, impact is limited to potential performance issues rather than complete system failure.

🌐 Internet-Facing: LOW - This requires local access or ability to trigger SCSI device failures, not directly exploitable over network.

🏢 Internal Only: MEDIUM - Requires local access or ability to manipulate SCSI devices, but could be exploited by malicious insiders or compromised local accounts.

🎯 Exploit Status

Public PoC: ✅ No

Weaponized: UNKNOWN

Unauthenticated Exploit: ✅ No

Complexity: MEDIUM

Requires ability to trigger SCSI device addition failures, which typically needs local access or specific hardware manipulation

🛠️ Fix & Mitigation

✅ Official Fix

Patch Version: Multiple stable kernel versions with commits: 04b5b5cb0136ce970333a9c6cec7e46adba1ea3a, 06c5340858011aa1195aec43a776e3185fbf7f56, 43c0e16d0c5ec59398b405f4c4aa5a076e656c3f, 63956ad27a6882f01fea7c69e17823090f4c7b3f, 6bc7f4c8c27d526f968788b8a985896755b1df35

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

Restart Required: Yes

Instructions:

1. Update Linux kernel to patched version from your distribution's repositories. 2. Reboot system to load new kernel. 3. Verify kernel version matches patched release.

🔧 Temporary Workarounds

Disable SCSI device hotplug

Linux

Prevent new SCSI devices from being added dynamically to avoid triggering the vulnerability

echo 'blacklist scsi' > /etc/modprobe.d/disable-scsi.conf
update-initramfs -u

🧯 If You Can't Patch

Monitor kernel memory usage closely for unusual increases
Restrict physical access to SCSI ports and prevent unauthorized device connections

🔍 How to Verify

Check if Vulnerable:

Check kernel version against distribution security advisories; examine dmesg for repeated SCSI device addition failures

Check Version:

uname -r

Verify Fix Applied:

Verify kernel version includes one of the fix commits; monitor for memory leaks after SCSI device operations

📡 Detection & Monitoring

Log Indicators:

Kernel logs showing repeated SCSI device addition failures
Increasing kernel memory usage without corresponding device activity

Network Indicators:

None - this is a local kernel vulnerability

SIEM Query:

source="kernel" AND ("device_add failed" OR "SCSI" AND "error")

📊 Metadata

CVE ID: CVE-2023-53174

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: 0.01% exploit probability (1.2th percentile)

Published: September 15, 2025

Last Updated: December 2, 2025

🔗 References

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