CVE-2023-53211
📋 TL;DR
This CVE describes a memory leak vulnerability in the Linux kernel's driver core location subsystem. When the kernel fails to allocate memory for ACPI Platform Location Data structures, it doesn't properly free previously allocated memory, causing a kernel memory leak. This affects all Linux systems using ACPI hardware.
💻 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 →⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Sustained exploitation could lead to kernel memory exhaustion, causing system instability, crashes, or denial of service through resource depletion.
Likely Case
Gradual memory consumption over time leading to performance degradation and potential system instability requiring reboots.
If Mitigated
Minimal impact with proper monitoring and regular reboots; memory leak rate is relatively slow.
🎯 Exploit Status
Requires ability to trigger ACPI Platform Location Data allocation failures; exploitation would need to repeatedly trigger the vulnerable code path.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: Kernel versions containing commits: 0d150f967e8410e1e6712484543eec709356a65d, 5a9de90951bbeaed775e4b8d1b16b4d359e82bf5, 8fe72b8f59f63ca776bb8a4fcd2f406057a9fc90
Vendor Advisory: https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/0d150f967e8410e1e6712484543eec709356a65d
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Update Linux kernel to version containing the fix commits. 2. For distributions: Use package manager (apt/yum/dnf) to update kernel package. 3. Reboot system to load new kernel.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Memory monitoring and proactive recycling
allMonitor kernel memory usage and schedule regular reboots before memory exhaustion occurs
watch -n 60 'cat /proc/meminfo | grep -E "MemFree|Slab"'
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement aggressive kernel memory monitoring with alerts for abnormal consumption patterns
- Schedule regular system reboots to clear accumulated memory leaks before critical thresholds
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check kernel version and compare with distribution's security advisories; examine if kernel contains the vulnerable code path in driver core location subsystemCheck Version:
uname -rVerify Fix Applied:
Verify kernel version contains one of the fix commits: git log --oneline | grep -E "0d150f967e84|5a9de90951bb|8fe72b8f59f6"📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Kernel oom-killer messages
- System instability logs
- Memory pressure warnings in dmesg
Network Indicators:
- None - local vulnerability only
SIEM Query:
source="kernel" AND ("out of memory" OR "oom-killer" OR "memory allocation failure")