CVE-2023-53249
📋 TL;DR
This CVE describes a memory leak vulnerability in the Linux kernel's i.MX8MN clock driver. When the imx8mn_clocks_probe function encounters an error, it fails to properly free allocated memory regions, leading to resource exhaustion over time. This affects systems running vulnerable Linux kernel versions with i.MX8MN hardware support.
💻 Affected Systems
- Linux kernel with i.MX8MN clock driver support
📦 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 →⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Sustained exploitation could lead to kernel memory exhaustion, causing system instability, denial of service, or potential kernel crashes requiring system reboot.
Likely Case
Gradual memory consumption over time leading to performance degradation and eventual system instability in affected embedded devices.
If Mitigated
Minimal impact with proper monitoring and memory management controls in place.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires triggering error conditions during device initialization, which may be difficult to achieve remotely without existing system access.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: Linux kernel versions containing the fix commits referenced in the CVE
Vendor Advisory: https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/188d070de9132667956f5aadd98d2bd87d3eac89
Restart Required: No
Instructions:
1. Update to a patched Linux kernel version containing the fix commits. 2. For embedded systems, update the kernel through your distribution's package manager or rebuild with patched source. 3. The fix replaces of_iomap() with devm_of_iomap() and kzalloc() with devm_kzalloc() for automatic resource management.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Monitor memory usage
allImplement monitoring for kernel memory consumption on affected systems to detect abnormal patterns
watch -n 60 'cat /proc/meminfo | grep -E "MemFree|Slab|KernelStack"'
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement system monitoring to detect memory exhaustion and trigger alerts
- Schedule regular system reboots to clear accumulated memory leaks in affected systems
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check if your kernel version contains the vulnerable imx8mn_clocks_probe function by examining kernel source or checking if you're using i.MX8MN hardware with unpatched kernelCheck Version:
uname -rVerify Fix Applied:
Verify kernel version includes the fix commits or check that devm_of_iomap() and devm_kzalloc() are used in the imx8mn_clocks_probe function📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Kernel oom-killer messages
- Memory allocation failure logs
- System instability logs
Network Indicators:
- None - this is a local kernel vulnerability
SIEM Query:
search for kernel panic, oom-killer, or memory exhaustion events on systems with i.MX8MN hardware🔗 References
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/188d070de9132667956f5aadd98d2bd87d3eac89
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/294321349bd3b0680847fc2bbe66b9ab3e522fea
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/50b5ddde8fad5f0ffd239029d0956af633a0f9b1
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/9428cf0fbf4be9a24f3e15a0c166b861b12666af
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/9ba3693b0350b154fdd7830559bbc7b04c067096
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/d4fa5e47af1e7bb2bbcaac062b14216c00e92148
