CVE-2023-53353
📋 TL;DR
This CVE describes a memory leak vulnerability in the Linux kernel's habanalabs accelerator driver. When users release file descriptors while memory buffers are still in use, the memory manager's IDR (ID allocation) is destroyed prematurely, preventing proper cleanup of memory buffers. This affects systems using habanalabs hardware accelerators with vulnerable kernel versions.
💻 Affected Systems
- Linux kernel with habanalabs accelerator 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 →⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Sustained memory exhaustion leading to system instability, denial of service, or potential information disclosure from uncleaned memory regions.
Likely Case
Gradual memory consumption over time when habanalabs devices are used, potentially causing performance degradation or application crashes.
If Mitigated
Minimal impact with proper monitoring and memory limits in place; memory leaks would be contained within user-space allocations.
🎯 Exploit Status
Requires local access and ability to use habanalabs devices. Exploitation involves specific memory management operations.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: Kernel versions containing commits 2e8e9a895c4589f124a37fc84d123b5114406e94 and 840de329ca99cafd0cdde9c6ac160b1330942aba
Vendor Advisory: https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/2e8e9a895c4589f124a37fc84d123b5114406e94
Restart Required: No
Instructions:
1. Update Linux kernel to patched version. 2. For custom kernels, apply the two referenced git commits to the habanalabs driver. 3. Rebuild and deploy kernel if needed.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Disable habanalabs driver
allPrevent loading of the vulnerable driver if habanalabs hardware is not required
echo 'blacklist habanalabs' >> /etc/modprobe.d/blacklist.conf
rmmod habanalabs
Limit memory usage
allImplement memory limits for processes using habanalabs devices
Use cgroups or ulimit to restrict memory allocation
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Monitor memory consumption of processes using habanalabs devices
- Restrict access to habanalabs devices to trusted users only
- Implement automatic process restart when memory thresholds are exceeded
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check if habanalabs module is loaded: lsmod | grep habanalabs. Check kernel version against patched versions.Check Version:
uname -rVerify Fix Applied:
Verify kernel version includes the fix commits. Test habanalabs memory operations and monitor for leaks.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Kernel oom-killer events
- Memory allocation failures in system logs
- habanalabs driver error messages
Network Indicators:
- None - this is a local memory management issue
SIEM Query:
Process memory usage spikes for applications using habanalabs devices