CVE-2023-53251 – A NULL pointer dereference vulnerability in the... (How to Fix)

Q: What is the severity of CVE-2023-53251?

CVE-2023-53251 has a CVSS score of 5.5 (MEDIUM). A NULL pointer dereference vulnerability in the Linux kernel's iwlwifi driver could cause kernel panics or system crashes when handling specific interrupt conditions. This affects Linux systems using Intel Wi-Fi hardware with the vulnerable driver version. The vulnerability requires local access to trigger.

📋 TL;DR

A NULL pointer dereference vulnerability in the Linux kernel's iwlwifi driver could cause kernel panics or system crashes when handling specific interrupt conditions. This affects Linux systems using Intel Wi-Fi hardware with the vulnerable driver version. The vulnerability requires local access to trigger.

💻 Affected Systems

Products:

Linux kernel with iwlwifi driver

Versions: Linux kernel versions with vulnerable iwlwifi driver code (specific commit range)

Operating Systems: Linux distributions using affected kernel versions

Default Config Vulnerable: ⚠️ Yes

Notes: Only affects systems with Intel Wi-Fi hardware using the iwlwifi driver. Requires specific interrupt conditions to trigger.

📦 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 →

⚠️ 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 requiring reboot, resulting in temporary denial of service.

🟢

If Mitigated

No impact if patched or if the specific interrupt condition doesn't occur.

🌐 Internet-Facing: LOW - Requires local access to trigger, not directly exploitable over network.

🏢 Internal Only: MEDIUM - Local users or processes could trigger denial of service on affected systems.

🎯 Exploit Status

Public PoC: ✅ No

Weaponized: UNKNOWN

Unauthenticated Exploit: ✅ No

Complexity: MEDIUM

Requires local access and ability to trigger specific interrupt conditions. Not a remote code execution vulnerability.

🛠️ Fix & Mitigation

✅ Official Fix

Patch Version: Linux kernel versions with fixes from the provided git commits

Vendor Advisory: https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/1902f1953b8ba100ee8705cb8a6f1a9795550eca

Restart Required: Yes

Instructions:

1. Update Linux kernel to patched version. 2. Rebuild kernel if using custom kernel. 3. Reboot system to load new kernel.

🔧 Temporary Workarounds

Disable MSI-X interrupts

Linux

Force driver to use legacy interrupts instead of MSI-X

echo 0 > /sys/module/iwlwifi/parameters/msix

Disable iwlwifi driver

Linux

Temporarily disable the vulnerable driver (will disable Wi-Fi)

modprobe -r iwlwifi

🧯 If You Can't Patch

Disable Wi-Fi functionality on affected systems
Restrict local user access to systems with vulnerable driver

🔍 How to Verify

Check if Vulnerable:

Check kernel version and iwlwifi driver version. Vulnerable if using unpatched kernel with iwlwifi driver loaded.

Check Version:

uname -r && modinfo iwlwifi | grep version

Verify Fix Applied:

Verify kernel version is updated to include the fix commits. Check that iwlwifi driver is loaded and functioning.

📡 Detection & Monitoring

Log Indicators:

Kernel panic messages
NULL pointer dereference errors in dmesg
iwlwifi driver crash logs

Network Indicators:

Sudden Wi-Fi disconnection
Network interface going down unexpectedly

SIEM Query:

source="kernel" AND ("NULL pointer dereference" OR "iwlwifi" OR "kernel panic")

📊 Metadata

CVE ID: CVE-2023-53251

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-476

EPSS Score: 0.01% exploit probability (1.1th percentile)

Published: September 15, 2025

Last Updated: January 14, 2026

🔗 References

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