CVE-2023-53416
📋 TL;DR
This CVE describes a memory leak vulnerability in the Linux kernel's USB isp1362 driver when using debugfs_lookup() without proper cleanup. The vulnerability allows attackers to gradually exhaust system memory over time, potentially leading to denial of service. Systems running affected Linux kernel versions with the isp1362 USB driver loaded are vulnerable.
💻 Affected Systems
- Linux kernel
📦 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
Sustained exploitation could lead to complete system memory exhaustion, causing kernel panic, system crashes, and denial of service affecting all running applications.
Likely Case
Gradual memory consumption over time leading to system performance degradation, application failures, and eventual system instability requiring reboot.
If Mitigated
Minimal impact with proper monitoring and memory limits in place; system may experience temporary performance issues before automated remediation.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires ability to trigger debugfs operations on the isp1362 driver; typically requires local access or compromised process.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: Kernel versions containing commits: 9d537c35e48f, b0a8195a84a7, c26e682afc14, fb284bee1e21
Vendor Advisory: https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/9d537c35e48feba9d450acca0ff14a55ce1ec450
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Update Linux kernel to patched version. 2. Rebuild kernel if compiling from source. 3. Reboot system to load new kernel.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Disable isp1362 USB driver
allPrevent loading of vulnerable driver module
echo 'blacklist isp1362' >> /etc/modprobe.d/blacklist.conf
rmmod isp1362
Disable debugfs for isp1362
allPrevent debugfs operations that trigger the vulnerability
mount -t debugfs none /sys/kernel/debug -o remount,ro
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Monitor system memory usage for abnormal increases
- Implement memory limits using cgroups to contain potential leaks
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check if isp1362 module is loaded: lsmod | grep isp1362 AND check kernel version against patched commitsCheck Version:
uname -rVerify Fix Applied:
Verify kernel version includes fix commits and isp1362 module loads without memory leak in /proc/meminfo monitoring📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Kernel oom-killer messages
- System memory exhaustion warnings in dmesg
- High memory usage alerts
Network Indicators:
- None - local vulnerability only
SIEM Query:
source="kernel" AND ("Out of memory" OR "oom-killer" OR "memory allocation failure")