CVE-2023-53430
📋 TL;DR
A memory leak vulnerability in the MediaTek Wi-Fi driver (mt76) in the Linux kernel allows attackers to cause denial of service by exhausting system memory. This affects Linux systems using MediaTek Wi-Fi hardware. The vulnerability occurs during device unregistration when DMA cleanup routines fail to properly free memory.
💻 Affected Systems
- Linux kernel with MediaTek mt76 Wi-Fi 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
System becomes unresponsive due to memory exhaustion, requiring hard reboot and potentially causing data loss or service disruption.
Likely Case
Gradual performance degradation leading to Wi-Fi connectivity issues and system instability over time.
If Mitigated
Minimal impact with proper monitoring and restart procedures in place.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires triggering the DMA cleanup routine through Wi-Fi device operations, typically requiring local access or ability to manipulate Wi-Fi hardware.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: Fixed in kernel commits 3f7dda36e0b6dfa2cd26191f754ba061ab8191f2 and 604990fee0a6d608a6cca179ae474f2a1c6add8a
Vendor Advisory: https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/3f7dda36e0b6dfa2cd26191f754ba061ab8191f2
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Update Linux kernel to version containing the fix commits. 2. Check distribution security advisories for backported patches. 3. Reboot system after kernel update.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Disable MediaTek Wi-Fi hardware
allRemove or disable MediaTek Wi-Fi hardware if not required
sudo modprobe -r mt76
sudo rfkill block wifi
Monitor memory usage
allImplement aggressive memory monitoring and alerting for systems using mt76 driver
sudo watch -n 5 'free -h'
sudo dmesg | grep -i mt76
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement strict access controls to prevent unauthorized users from accessing Wi-Fi configuration
- Schedule regular system reboots to clear potential memory leaks before they cause issues
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check kernel version and if mt76 module is loaded: lsmod | grep mt76 && uname -rCheck Version:
uname -rVerify Fix Applied:
Verify kernel version includes fix commits or check distribution security advisory for patch inclusion📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Kernel oom-killer messages
- High memory usage in system logs
- mt76 driver error messages in dmesg
Network Indicators:
- Wi-Fi connectivity degradation
- Increased system latency
SIEM Query:
source="kernel" AND ("mt76" OR "oom-killer" OR "out of memory")