CVE-2023-53379 – This CVE describes a memory leak vulnerability ... (How to Fix)

Q: What is the severity of CVE-2023-53379?

CVE-2023-53379 has a CVSS score of 5.5 (MEDIUM). This CVE describes a memory leak vulnerability in the Linux kernel's USB PHY driver for Tahvo devices. When the tahvo_usb_probe() function fails to properly handle IRQ acquisition errors, it doesn't free allocated memory, potentially leading to kernel memory exhaustion. This affects Linux systems with Tahvo USB PHY hardware support.

📋 TL;DR

This CVE describes a memory leak vulnerability in the Linux kernel's USB PHY driver for Tahvo devices. When the tahvo_usb_probe() function fails to properly handle IRQ acquisition errors, it doesn't free allocated memory, potentially leading to kernel memory exhaustion. This affects Linux systems with Tahvo USB PHY hardware support.

💻 Affected Systems

Products:

Linux Kernel

Versions: Specific affected kernel versions not explicitly stated in CVE, but patches available in stable kernel trees

Operating Systems: Linux distributions using affected kernel versions

Default Config Vulnerable: ⚠️ Yes

Notes: Only affects systems with Tahvo USB PHY hardware support. Most general-purpose systems are not affected unless they have this specific hardware.

📦 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...

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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

Sustained exploitation could lead to kernel memory exhaustion, causing system instability, denial of service, or potential kernel panic/crash.

🟠

Likely Case

Memory leak gradually consumes kernel memory over time, potentially leading to system performance degradation or instability requiring reboot.

🟢

If Mitigated

With proper memory management controls and monitoring, impact is limited to potential performance issues rather than complete system failure.

🌐 Internet-Facing: LOW - This requires local access or ability to trigger the specific USB PHY probe failure condition.

🏢 Internal Only: MEDIUM - Internal users with device access could potentially trigger the condition, but requires specific hardware and failure conditions.

🎯 Exploit Status

Public PoC: ✅ No

Weaponized: UNKNOWN

Unauthenticated Exploit: ✅ No

Complexity: MEDIUM

Exploitation requires triggering the specific error condition in tahvo_usb_probe() during USB PHY initialization, which may require physical access or ability to manipulate USB hardware.

🛠️ Fix & Mitigation

✅ Official Fix

Patch Version: Patches available in stable kernel trees (commits referenced in CVE)

Vendor Advisory: https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/342161c11403ea00e9febc16baab1d883d589d04

Restart Required: Yes

Instructions:

1. Update to a patched kernel version from your distribution's repositories. 2. Apply the specific kernel patch if building custom kernel. 3. Reboot system to load new kernel.

🔧 Temporary Workarounds

Disable Tahvo USB PHY module

Linux

Prevent loading of the vulnerable driver module if Tahvo hardware is not needed

echo 'blacklist phy-tahvo' >> /etc/modprobe.d/blacklist.conf
rmmod phy-tahvo

🧯 If You Can't Patch

Monitor kernel memory usage for unusual patterns indicating memory leaks
Implement system monitoring to detect and alert on memory exhaustion conditions

🔍 How to Verify

Check if Vulnerable:

Check if phy-tahvo module is loaded: lsmod | grep tahvo. Check kernel version against patched versions.

Check Version:

uname -r

Verify Fix Applied:

Verify kernel version includes one of the patched commits. Check dmesg for successful module loading without memory leak warnings.

📡 Detection & Monitoring

Log Indicators:

Kernel oops messages
Memory allocation failures in dmesg
Out of memory kernel warnings

Network Indicators:

None - this is a local kernel vulnerability

SIEM Query:

source="kernel" AND ("out of memory" OR "slab allocation" OR "tahvo")

📊 Metadata

CVE ID: CVE-2023-53379

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-401

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

Published: September 18, 2025

Last Updated: January 14, 2026

🔗 References

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