CVE-2023-53351
📋 TL;DR
A race condition vulnerability in the Linux kernel's DRM scheduler component can cause a NULL pointer dereference during GPU fault handling, leading to kernel oops or system crashes. This affects systems with AMD GPU hardware using the affected kernel versions, particularly during GPU reset operations.
💻 Affected Systems
- Linux kernel with DRM scheduler 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 →⚠️ 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 oops during GPU-intensive operations or GPU reset scenarios, resulting in temporary denial of service.
If Mitigated
Minor system instability during GPU operations that requires system reboot to recover.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires triggering GPU fault conditions during specific timing windows. Likely requires local access or ability to run GPU-intensive workloads.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: Kernel versions with commit 2da5bffe9eaa5819a868e8eaaa11b3fd0f16a691 or c43a96fc00b662cef1ef0eb22d40441ce2abae8f
Vendor Advisory: https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/2da5bffe9eaa5819a868e8eaaa11b3fd0f16a691
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Update Linux kernel to version containing the fix commit. 2. Reboot system to load new kernel. 3. Verify kernel version matches patched version.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Disable GPU-intensive workloads
allAvoid running GPU-intensive applications or workloads that could trigger GPU faults
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Monitor system logs for kernel oops messages related to GPU faults
- Implement system monitoring to detect and alert on unexpected system crashes
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check kernel version and verify if it contains the vulnerable code by examining kernel source or checking distribution security advisoriesCheck Version:
uname -rVerify Fix Applied:
Verify kernel version contains the fix commit 2da5bffe9eaa5819a868e8eaaa11b3fd0f16a691 or c43a96fc00b662cef1ef0eb22d40441ce2abae8f📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Kernel oops messages in /var/log/kern.log or dmesg output
- GPU fault-related error messages
- System crash reports
SIEM Query:
source="kernel" AND ("oops" OR "NULL pointer dereference" OR "GPU fault" OR "drm_sched_fault")