CVE-2023-53300
📋 TL;DR
A memory leak vulnerability in the Linux kernel's hi846 camera sensor driver allows attackers to cause resource exhaustion by repeatedly triggering the failure condition in hi846_init_controls(). This affects systems using the hi846 camera sensor with vulnerable kernel versions, potentially leading to denial of service.
💻 Affected Systems
- Linux kernel with hi846 camera sensor driver
📦 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 →⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
System becomes unresponsive or crashes due to memory exhaustion, affecting availability of services running on the affected system.
Likely Case
Gradual performance degradation leading to denial of service for applications or services on the affected system.
If Mitigated
Minimal impact with proper memory management and monitoring in place; system remains stable but may experience temporary resource constraints.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires ability to trigger failure in hi846_init_controls(), which may involve specific hardware conditions or driver interactions.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: Kernel versions with commits: 07f0f15e5db60c5b0722049d3251ef4a46dc3b76, 12a80b1490e398f5ad7157508cf32b73511de5fc, 2649c1a20e8e399ee955d0e22192f9992662c3d2, fd22e8c8c38fb40f130d3a60e52c59996a5bbae9
Vendor Advisory: https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/07f0f15e5db60c5b0722049d3251ef4a46dc3b76
Restart Required: No
Instructions:
1. Update Linux kernel to version containing the fix commits. 2. For distributions: Use package manager to update kernel package. 3. For custom kernels: Apply patches from kernel.org and rebuild.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Disable hi846 camera sensor
LinuxPrevent driver loading to avoid vulnerability trigger
echo 'blacklist hi846' >> /etc/modprobe.d/blacklist.conf
rmmod hi846
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Monitor system memory usage and restart services if memory exhaustion is detected
- Restrict access to camera functionality to trusted users only
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check kernel version and if hi846 module is loaded: lsmod | grep hi846 && uname -rCheck Version:
uname -rVerify Fix Applied:
Verify kernel version includes fix commits: git log --oneline | grep -E '07f0f15e5db60c5b0722049d3251ef4a46dc3b76|12a80b1490e398f5ad7157508cf32b73511de5fc|2649c1a20e8e399ee955d0e22192f9992662c3d2|fd22e8c8c38fb40f130d3a60e52c59996a5bbae9'📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Kernel oom-killer messages
- Memory allocation failures in dmesg
- hi846 driver initialization errors
Network Indicators:
- None - local vulnerability
SIEM Query:
source="kernel" AND ("oom-killer" OR "hi846" OR "memory allocation failure")