CVE-2023-53659

Q: What is the severity of CVE-2023-53659?

CVE-2023-53659 has a CVSS score of 7.1 (HIGH). This vulnerability in the Linux kernel's iavf driver allows an out-of-bounds memory access when setting network channels during device removal. Attackers with local access can trigger a kernel crash or potentially execute arbitrary code. Systems using Intel Ethernet Adaptive Virtual Function (iavf) drivers are affected.

7.1 HIGH

Denial of Service

📋 TL;DR

This vulnerability in the Linux kernel's iavf driver allows an out-of-bounds memory access when setting network channels during device removal. Attackers with local access can trigger a kernel crash or potentially execute arbitrary code. Systems using Intel Ethernet Adaptive Virtual Function (iavf) drivers are affected.

💻 Affected Systems

Products:

Linux kernel with iavf driver

Versions: Kernel versions before the fix commits (specific versions vary by distribution)

Operating Systems: Linux distributions using affected kernel versions

Default Config Vulnerable: ⚠️ Yes

Notes: Requires Intel Ethernet Adaptive Virtual Function hardware and driver loaded.

📦 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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⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact

🔴

Worst Case

Local privilege escalation leading to full system compromise via kernel code execution.

🟠

Likely Case

Kernel panic causing system crash and denial of service.

🟢

If Mitigated

System remains stable with proper access controls preventing local exploitation.

🌐 Internet-Facing: LOW - Requires local access to trigger.

🏢 Internal Only: MEDIUM - Local users or compromised accounts could exploit this.

🎯 Exploit Status

Public PoC: ⚠️ Yes

Weaponized: LIKELY

Unauthenticated Exploit: ✅ No

Complexity: MEDIUM

Reproducer script provided in CVE description shows exploitation path. Requires local access and specific hardware/driver configuration.

🛠️ Fix & Mitigation

✅ Official Fix

Patch Version: Kernel versions containing commits: 0fb37ce6c01e17839e26d03222f0b44e6a3ed2b9, 65ecebc9ac09427b2c65f271cd5e5bd536c3fe38, 6e1d8f1332076a002e6d910d255aa5903d341c56, 7c4bced3caa749ce468b0c5de711c98476b23a52, b92defe4e8ee86996c16417ad8c804cb4395fddd

Vendor Advisory: https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/0fb37ce6c01e17839e26d03222f0b44e6a3ed2b9

Restart Required: Yes

Instructions:

1. Update Linux kernel to patched version from your distribution. 2. Reboot system to load new kernel. 3. Verify iavf driver version matches patched kernel.

🔧 Temporary Workarounds

Disable iavf driver

linux

Prevent loading of vulnerable iavf driver module

echo 'blacklist iavf' >> /etc/modprobe.d/blacklist-iavf.conf
rmmod iavf

Restrict channel configuration

linux

Limit ability to modify network channels via permissions

chmod 600 /sys/bus/pci/devices/*/sriov_numvfs
chmod 600 /sys/class/net/*/queues/*

🧯 If You Can't Patch

Restrict local user access to systems with iavf hardware
Implement strict privilege separation and limit sudo/root access

🔍 How to Verify

Check if Vulnerable:

Check if iavf driver is loaded: lsmod | grep iavf. Check kernel version against patched versions.

Check Version:

uname -r

Verify Fix Applied:

Verify kernel version includes fix commits. Test with reproducer script (requires caution).

📡 Detection & Monitoring

Log Indicators:

Kernel panic messages mentioning iavf
KASAN reports for slab-out-of-bounds in iavf functions
System crashes during network interface changes

Network Indicators:

Sudden loss of network connectivity on affected interfaces

SIEM Query:

event_source="kernel" AND (message:"iavf" AND (message:"KASAN" OR message:"slab-out-of-bounds" OR message:"panic"))

📊 Metadata

CVE ID: CVE-2023-53659

CVSS v3 Score: 7.1 (HIGH)

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

CWE: CWE-125

EPSS Score: 0.02% exploit probability (5.6th percentile)

Published: October 7, 2025

Last Updated: February 3, 2026

📋 TL;DR

💻 Affected Systems

📦 What is this software?

Linux Kernel by Linux

Linux Kernel by Linux

Linux Kernel by Linux

Linux Kernel by Linux

Linux Kernel by Linux

Linux Kernel by Linux

Linux Kernel by Linux

Linux Kernel by Linux

Linux Kernel by Linux

Linux Kernel by Linux

Linux Kernel by Linux

Linux Kernel by Linux

Linux Kernel by Linux

Linux Kernel by Linux

⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact

Worst Case

Likely Case

If Mitigated

🎯 Exploit Status

🛠️ Fix & Mitigation

✅ Official Fix

Instructions:

🔧 Temporary Workarounds

Disable iavf driver

Restrict channel configuration

🧯 If You Can't Patch

🔍 How to Verify

Check if Vulnerable:

Check Version:

Verify Fix Applied:

📡 Detection & Monitoring

Log Indicators:

Network Indicators:

SIEM Query:

📊 Metadata

🔗 References

📤 Share & Export

🔗 Related Vulnerabilities