CVE-2023-53467
📋 TL;DR
This vulnerability is a memory leak in the Linux kernel's rtw89 WiFi driver. When the rtw89_append_probe_req_ie() function fails to allocate memory properly, it doesn't free a network buffer (skb), causing a kernel memory leak. This affects systems using Realtek rtw89 WiFi chips with vulnerable kernel versions.
💻 Affected Systems
- Linux kernel with rtw89 WiFi 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 →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 cause kernel memory exhaustion leading to system instability, crashes, or denial of service.
Likely Case
Gradual memory consumption over time requiring system reboot to recover memory.
If Mitigated
Minimal impact with proper monitoring and regular reboots.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires ability to send WiFi frames to trigger the vulnerable code path.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: Kernel commits: 1e336d6bab68973084a18c1e4bd78cd0bbbdcacd, 4a0e218cc9c42d1903ade8b5a371dcf48cf918c5, a10b6d73123bd480751d916575835abb615072fd
Vendor Advisory: https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/1e336d6bab68973084a18c1e4bd78cd0bbbdcacd
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Update Linux kernel to version containing the fix commits. 2. Rebuild kernel if compiling from source. 3. Reboot system to load patched kernel.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Disable rtw89 WiFi driver
linuxTemporarily disable the vulnerable WiFi driver if not needed
sudo modprobe -r rtw89_core
sudo modprobe -r rtw89_pci
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Monitor kernel memory usage for abnormal increases
- Implement regular system reboots to clear accumulated memory
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check if rtw89 driver is loaded: lsmod | grep rtw89. Check kernel version against patched versions.Check Version:
uname -rVerify Fix Applied:
Verify kernel version includes fix commits. Check dmesg for rtw89 driver loading without errors.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Kernel OOM (Out of Memory) messages
- System instability logs
- WiFi driver error messages
Network Indicators:
- Abnormal WiFi probe request patterns
SIEM Query:
source="kernel" AND ("out of memory" OR "OOM" OR "rtw89")