CVE-2023-53524
📋 TL;DR
This CVE describes an integer overflow vulnerability in the iwlwifi driver in the Linux kernel that could lead to heap overflow. However, the vulnerability is only accessible through debugfs with 0400 permissions, making it not exploitable as a security issue in practice. Only systems with specific Intel WiFi hardware and debugfs enabled are potentially affected.
💻 Affected Systems
- Linux kernel with iwlwifi 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 →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
If exploited, an attacker with local access could cause heap overflow leading to kernel memory corruption, potentially resulting in denial of service, information disclosure, or privilege escalation.
Likely Case
Minimal real-world impact since the vulnerable function is only accessible through debugfs with read-only permissions (0400), requiring root privileges or specific debug configurations to be exploitable.
If Mitigated
With standard Linux permissions and debugfs not exposed to untrusted users, the vulnerability poses minimal risk even if unpatched.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires local access, specific debugfs permissions, and knowledge of the system configuration. The CVE description itself states 'This is not a security vulnerability because iwl_dbgfs_monitor_data_read() is a debugfs operation with 0400 privileges.'
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: Patches available in stable kernel trees (commits referenced in CVE)
Vendor Advisory: https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/059e426d666a41e26b184c177c1ca3ee2d6fa1b6
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Update Linux kernel to a version containing the fix. 2. Check your distribution's security advisories for specific kernel package updates. 3. Reboot the system after kernel update.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Disable debugfs access
linuxPrevent non-root users from accessing debugfs where the vulnerable function resides
mount -o remount,nodev,noexec,nosuid /sys/kernel/debug
chmod 700 /sys/kernel/debug
Restrict debugfs permissions
linuxEnsure debugfs has proper permissions (0400) to prevent unauthorized access
chmod 0400 /sys/kernel/debug/iwlwifi/*/monitor_data
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Ensure debugfs is mounted with proper restrictions (nodev,noexec,nosuid)
- Restrict access to debugfs directories to root only and monitor for unauthorized access attempts
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check kernel version and verify if iwlwifi driver is loaded: 'lsmod | grep iwlwifi' and 'uname -r' to check kernel version against patched versionsCheck Version:
uname -rVerify Fix Applied:
Verify kernel version is updated to a version containing the fix commits referenced in the CVE📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Kernel panic logs
- System crash dumps
- Unauthorized access attempts to debugfs
Network Indicators:
- None - this is a local vulnerability
SIEM Query:
Search for kernel panic events or unauthorized file access to /sys/kernel/debug/iwlwifi paths🔗 References
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/059e426d666a41e26b184c177c1ca3ee2d6fa1b6
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/0ad8dd870aa187d0c21d032bb2c6433559075eec
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/58d1b717879bfeabe09b35e41ad667c79933eb2e
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/82f877ec9b041edc4c7c509c605cc3393d837bf0
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/de78456976026102babe66258c228691ca5677c0
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/eb1ef44efac797b384d361a76e33f77027c29a14
