CVE-2023-53228
📋 TL;DR
This CVE describes a NULL pointer dereference vulnerability in the AMD GPU driver for Linux kernels. When command submission fails due to userptr invalidation, redundant cleanup code causes a double-free scenario leading to system crashes. This affects Linux systems with AMD GPUs using the affected kernel versions.
💻 Affected Systems
- Linux kernel with AMD GPU driver (drm/amdgpu)
📦 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
Kernel panic leading to system crash and denial of service, potentially causing data loss or system instability.
Likely Case
System crash or kernel panic when specific GPU operations fail, resulting in temporary denial of service.
If Mitigated
No impact if patched or if the specific failure condition doesn't occur during normal operations.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires triggering specific GPU command submission failures, which may require specialized knowledge of GPU operations.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: Linux kernel versions containing commits 1253685f0d3eb3eab0bfc4bf15ab341a5f3da0c8, c1564d4b105ae535eb3183ecaaa987685b20a888, or ec02a29c3c2ef8ad3e15a0e3f96b99a00e5d97b4
Vendor Advisory: https://gitlab.freedesktop.org/drm/amd/-/issues/2457
Restart Required: No
Instructions:
1. Update Linux kernel to version containing the fix commits. 2. For distributions: Use package manager to update kernel (e.g., 'apt update && apt upgrade' for Debian/Ubuntu, 'yum update kernel' for RHEL/CentOS). 3. Rebuild kernel if using custom kernel with the fix commits backported.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Disable AMD GPU driver
allPrevent loading of the vulnerable amdgpu kernel module
echo 'blacklist amdgpu' >> /etc/modprobe.d/blacklist-amdgpu.conf
update-initramfs -u
reboot
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Restrict GPU access to trusted users only
- Monitor system logs for kernel panic events related to GPU operations
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check kernel version and if amdgpu module is loaded: 'uname -r' and 'lsmod | grep amdgpu'Check Version:
uname -rVerify Fix Applied:
Verify kernel version is updated to one containing fix commits: 'uname -r' and check distribution patch notes📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Kernel panic messages in /var/log/kern.log or dmesg
- NULL pointer dereference errors in kernel logs
- GPU driver crash messages
Network Indicators:
- None - this is a local vulnerability
SIEM Query:
source="kernel" AND ("NULL pointer dereference" OR "kernel panic" OR "amdgpu")