CVE-2023-53372 – This CVE-2023-53372 is a buffer overflow vulner... (How to Fix)

Q: What is the severity of CVE-2023-53372?

CVE-2023-53372 has a CVSS score of 7.8 (HIGH). This CVE-2023-53372 is a buffer overflow vulnerability in the Linux kernel's SCTP (Stream Control Transmission Protocol) implementation. It allows attackers to cause a kernel crash or potentially execute arbitrary code by sending specially crafted SCTP packets. Systems running vulnerable Linux kernel versions with SCTP enabled are affected.

📋 TL;DR

This CVE-2023-53372 is a buffer overflow vulnerability in the Linux kernel's SCTP (Stream Control Transmission Protocol) implementation. It allows attackers to cause a kernel crash or potentially execute arbitrary code by sending specially crafted SCTP packets. Systems running vulnerable Linux kernel versions with SCTP enabled are affected.

💻 Affected Systems

Products:

Linux kernel

Versions: Specific vulnerable kernel versions referenced in the git commits (check individual commit hashes for exact ranges)

Operating Systems: Linux distributions using affected kernel versions

Default Config Vulnerable: ✅ No

Notes: Only vulnerable if SCTP protocol support is compiled into the kernel or loaded as module, and SCTP is being used.

📦 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 →

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 →

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, or potential remote code execution with kernel privileges resulting in complete system compromise.

🟠

Likely Case

Denial of service through kernel panic causing system reboot and service disruption.

🟢

If Mitigated

No impact if SCTP is disabled or systems are properly patched.

🌐 Internet-Facing: MEDIUM - Requires SCTP to be enabled and accessible from network, which is less common than TCP/UDP.

🏢 Internal Only: LOW - SCTP is typically used in specialized applications and not widely deployed in internal networks.

🎯 Exploit Status

Public PoC: ✅ No

Weaponized: UNKNOWN

Unauthenticated Exploit: ⚠️ Yes

Complexity: MEDIUM

Exploitation requires sending specially crafted SCTP packets to a vulnerable system with SCTP enabled.

🛠️ Fix & Mitigation

✅ Official Fix

Patch Version: Kernel versions containing the fix commits: 32832a2caf82663870126c5186cf8f86c8b2a649, 4fbd094d4131a10d06a45d64158567052a35b3f4, 5c9367ac5a22d71841bcd00130f9146c9b227d57, 6109f5b13ce3e3e537db6f18976ec0e9118d1c6f, 79b28f42214a3d0d6a8c514db3602260bd5d6cb5

Vendor Advisory: https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/32832a2caf82663870126c5186cf8f86c8b2a649

Restart Required: Yes

Instructions:

1. Update Linux kernel to patched version from your distribution's repositories. 2. Reboot system to load new kernel. 3. Verify kernel version after reboot.

🔧 Temporary Workarounds

Disable SCTP kernel module

linux

Prevent loading of SCTP kernel module to mitigate vulnerability

echo 'install sctp /bin/true' >> /etc/modprobe.d/disable-sctp.conf
rmmod sctp

Block SCTP network traffic

linux

Use firewall rules to block SCTP traffic (ports 2905, 9900, 9901, or custom)

iptables -A INPUT -p sctp -j DROP
iptables -A OUTPUT -p sctp -j DROP

🧯 If You Can't Patch

Disable SCTP protocol support if not required for business functions
Implement network segmentation to restrict SCTP traffic to trusted sources only

🔍 How to Verify

Check if Vulnerable:

Check if SCTP module is loaded: lsmod | grep sctp. If loaded and kernel version is vulnerable, system is at risk.

Check Version:

uname -r

Verify Fix Applied:

Check kernel version after update matches patched versions, verify SCTP functionality still works if required.

📡 Detection & Monitoring

Log Indicators:

Kernel panic logs in /var/log/messages or dmesg
System crash/reboot events without clear cause

Network Indicators:

Unusual SCTP traffic patterns
SCTP packets with malformed ifwdtsn skip structures

SIEM Query:

source="kernel" AND ("panic" OR "Oops" OR "BUG") AND process="kernel"

📊 Metadata

CVE ID: CVE-2023-53372

CVSS v3 Score: 7.8 (HIGH)

CVSS Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

CWE: CWE-787

EPSS Score: 0.01% exploit probability (1.3th percentile)

Published: September 18, 2025

Last Updated: January 14, 2026

🔗 References

📤 Share & Export

📄 Export Markdown 📋 Export JSON

🔗 Related Vulnerabilities

If you're affected by CVE-2023-53372, you might also want to check these: