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CVE-2023-53489

5.5 · MEDIUM
Published Oct 1, 2025 linux CWE-401 EPSS 0.15% (4th pctl)

Overview

CVE-2023-53489 is a medium-severity vulnerability affecting linux linux_kernel. It was published on October 1, 2025 and has a CVSS 3.1 base score of 5.5 (MEDIUM).

This vulnerability has a CVSS 3.1 base score of 5.5, rated MEDIUM. It requires local or adjacent network access to exploit. Some level of privileges is required for exploitation.

Technical Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:

tcp/udp: Fix memleaks of sk and zerocopy skbs with TX timestamp.

syzkaller reported [0] memory leaks of an UDP socket and ZEROCOPY

skbs. We can reproduce the problem with these sequences:

sk = socket(AF_INET, SOCK_DGRAM, 0)

sk.setsockopt(SOL_SOCKET, SO_TIMESTAMPING, SOF_TIMESTAMPING_TX_SOFTWARE)

sk.setsockopt(SOL_SOCKET, SO_ZEROCOPY, 1)

sk.sendto(b'', MSG_ZEROCOPY, ('127.0.0.1', 53))

sk.close()

sendmsg() calls msg_zerocopy_alloc(), which allocates a skb, sets

skb->cb->ubuf.refcnt to 1, and calls sock_hold(). Here, struct

ubuf_info_msgzc indirectly holds a refcnt of the socket. When the

skb is sent, __skb_tstamp_tx() clones it and puts the clone into

the socket's error queue with the TX timestamp.

When the original skb is received locally, skb_copy_ubufs() calls

skb_unclone(), and pskb_expand_head() increments skb->cb->ubuf.refcnt.

This additional count is decremented while freeing the skb, but struct

Remediation

Check the references section for vendor advisories and patches from linux. Update linux_kernel to the latest patched version. If immediate patching is not possible, review the CVSS vector to understand the attack surface and apply compensating controls such as network segmentation or access restrictions.

Affected Products

Vendor Product Versions Status
linux linux_kernel >= 4.14, < 4.14.315 Affected

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2023-53489?

CVE-2023-53489 is a medium-severity vulnerability affecting linux linux_kernel. It was published on October 1, 2025 and has a CVSS 3.1 base score of 5.5 (MEDIUM).

How severe is CVE-2023-53489?

This vulnerability has a CVSS 3.1 base score of 5.5, rated MEDIUM. It requires local or adjacent network access to exploit. Some level of privileges is required for exploitation.

How do I fix or remediate CVE-2023-53489?

Check the references section for vendor advisories and patches from linux. Update linux_kernel to the latest patched version. If immediate patching is not possible, review the CVSS vector to understand the attack surface and apply compensating controls such as network segmentation or access restrictions.

How can CyberStrike help with CVE-2023-53489?

CyberStrike's AI-powered security agents can automatically detect CVE-2023-53489 across your infrastructure using autonomous pentesting, DAST scanning, and HackBrowser. The platform continuously monitors for known vulnerabilities and provides actionable remediation guidance prioritized by real-world exploitability.