CVE-2023-53418
📋 TL;DR
This CVE describes a memory leak vulnerability in the Linux kernel's USB gadget driver for LPC32xx processors. When debugfs_lookup() is called without proper cleanup, kernel memory gradually leaks over time. This affects systems using the lpc32xx_udc USB gadget driver, typically embedded Linux devices with NXP LPC32xx processors.
💻 Affected Systems
- Linux kernel with lpc32xx_udc driver enabled
📦 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 memory leak could lead to kernel memory exhaustion, causing system instability, crashes, or denial of service over time.
Likely Case
Gradual memory consumption increase requiring periodic reboots to maintain system stability.
If Mitigated
Minimal impact with proper monitoring and regular maintenance reboots.
🎯 Exploit Status
Requires privileged access to debugfs interface and specific hardware. Not remotely exploitable.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: Kernel versions containing fix commits: 036ada6ca9ee, 72c25eb9ae49, 7a5fdd866017, e3965acaf373
Vendor Advisory: https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/036ada6ca9eea926abc0b0ef550b10488d66d4d8
Restart Required: No
Instructions:
1. Update Linux kernel to version containing the fix commits. 2. Rebuild kernel if compiling from source. 3. No reboot required for driver fix, but new kernel requires reboot.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Disable debugfs access
allPrevent access to debugfs interface that triggers the memory leak
mount -o remount,nodebugfs /sys/kernel/debug
chmod 000 /sys/kernel/debug
Disable lpc32xx_udc driver
allRemove the vulnerable driver if USB gadget functionality is not required
modprobe -r lpc32xx_udc
echo "blacklist lpc32xx_udc" >> /etc/modprobe.d/blacklist.conf
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement monitoring for kernel memory usage and schedule regular reboots
- Restrict access to debugfs interface to trusted users only
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check if lpc32xx_udc module is loaded: lsmod | grep lpc32xx_udc AND check kernel version against patched versionsCheck Version:
uname -rVerify Fix Applied:
Verify kernel version includes fix commits: grep -q "036ada6ca9ee\|72c25eb9ae49\|7a5fdd866017\|e3965acaf373" /proc/version📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Kernel oom-killer messages
- Increasing kernel memory usage in /proc/meminfo
- System instability logs
Network Indicators:
- None - local vulnerability only
SIEM Query:
source="kernel" AND ("oom-killer" OR "Out of memory" OR "slab allocation failure")