CVE-2023-53649 – This is a memory leak vulnerability in the Linu... (How to Fix)

Q: What is the severity of CVE-2023-53649?

CVE-2023-53649 has a CVSS score of 5.5 (MEDIUM). This is a memory leak vulnerability in the Linux kernel's perf trace subsystem where evsel->priv memory allocations are not properly freed. It affects systems running vulnerable Linux kernel versions with perf tools enabled, potentially leading to resource exhaustion over time.

📋 TL;DR

This is a memory leak vulnerability in the Linux kernel's perf trace subsystem where evsel->priv memory allocations are not properly freed. It affects systems running vulnerable Linux kernel versions with perf tools enabled, potentially leading to resource exhaustion over time.

💻 Affected Systems

Products:

Linux kernel

Versions: Specific affected versions not explicitly stated; check kernel commit history for vulnerable versions

Operating Systems: Linux distributions using affected kernel versions

Default Config Vulnerable: ⚠️ Yes

Notes: Requires perf tools functionality and trace operations; not all systems may have perf enabled or configured.

📦 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...

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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 →

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

Sustained exploitation could lead to kernel memory exhaustion, causing system instability, performance degradation, or denial of service through resource depletion.

🟠

Likely Case

Gradual memory consumption during perf trace operations, potentially impacting system performance over extended usage periods.

🟢

If Mitigated

Minimal impact with proper monitoring and resource limits in place; primarily affects debugging/tracing operations.

🌐 Internet-Facing: LOW - Requires local access and specific perf trace usage; not remotely exploitable.

🏢 Internal Only: MEDIUM - Local users with perf permissions could trigger the leak, potentially affecting system stability.

🎯 Exploit Status

Public PoC: ✅ No

Weaponized: UNKNOWN

Unauthenticated Exploit: ✅ No

Complexity: MEDIUM

Requires local access and ability to run perf trace commands; memory leak occurs during normal trace operations.

🛠️ Fix & Mitigation

✅ Official Fix

Patch Version: Kernel versions with commits 27f396f64537b1ae48d0644d7cbf0d250b3c0b33, 62dd514c34be63d3d5cae1f52a7e8b96c6dd6630, 7962ef13651a9163f07b530607392ea123482e8a, or c3bc668581e71e7c3bc7eb1d647f25f8db222163

Vendor Advisory: https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/27f396f64537b1ae48d0644d7cbf0d250b3c0b33

Restart Required: Yes

Instructions:

1. Update Linux kernel to patched version. 2. Reboot system to load new kernel. 3. Verify kernel version with 'uname -r'. 4. Test perf trace functionality.

🔧 Temporary Workarounds

Restrict perf permissions

all

Limit access to perf tools to prevent unauthorized users from triggering the memory leak

chmod 750 /usr/bin/perf
setfacl -m u:root:rwx /usr/bin/perf
setfacl -m g:trusted_users:rx /usr/bin/perf

Disable perf trace functionality

all

Prevent use of vulnerable trace functionality if not required

echo 0 > /proc/sys/kernel/perf_event_paranoid
chmod 000 /usr/bin/perf

🧯 If You Can't Patch

Implement strict access controls on perf binary
Monitor system memory usage and restart services if abnormal consumption detected

🔍 How to Verify

Check if Vulnerable:

Run 'perf trace sleep 1' with ASAN enabled and check for memory leaks; or check kernel version against known vulnerable ranges

Check Version:

uname -r

Verify Fix Applied:

Test perf trace operations and monitor for memory leaks; verify kernel contains fix commits

📡 Detection & Monitoring

Log Indicators:

Unusual memory consumption patterns
Perf trace process memory growth over time
Kernel OOM events

Network Indicators:

None - local vulnerability only

SIEM Query:

process.name="perf" AND memory.usage > threshold

📊 Metadata

CVE ID: CVE-2023-53649

CVSS v3 Score: 5.5 (MEDIUM)

CVSS Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H

CWE: CWE-401

EPSS Score: 0.02% exploit probability (5.3th percentile)

Published: October 7, 2025

Last Updated: February 3, 2026

🔗 References

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