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NVD / CVE Program· CNA Linux

CVE-2023-53200: netfilter: x_tables: fix percpu counter block leak on error path when creating new netns

Noroxi assessment

Priority: Monitor (action score 22/100)

  • The sources we track (CISA KEV, Exploit-DB, Metasploit, Nuclei, GitHub) show no public exploit code or exploitation in the wild.
  • Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days: 0.15% (FIRST EPSS).
  • Someone with local access to the system can trigger it. A low-privileged account is enough. No user action is required. No special conditions are required; it is repeatable.
  • Fixed version: Linux Linux 0af8c09c896810879387decfba8c942994bb61f5, 3cc9610a87b7dde82f7360dd4eb6c2c27940ed57, 512b6c4b83c91d007301ea7d7f095d16c3aceacd.

Low priority for now. Upgrade to Linux Linux 0af8c09c896810879387decfba8c942994bb61f5, 3cc9610a87b7dde82f7360dd4eb6c2c27940ed57, 512b6c4b83c91d007301ea7d7f095d16c3aceacd or later.

Generated automatically from the record's data: CVSS (NVD and CNA), CISA KEV and SSVC, FIRST EPSS, exploit sources, fixed versions. How we calculate it

Primary sources: NVD · CVE.org · FIRST EPSS

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: netfilter: x_tables: fix percpu counter block leak on error path when creating new netns Here is the stack where we allocate percpu counter block: +-< __alloc_percpu +-< xt_percpu_counter_alloc +-< find_check_entry # {arp,ip,ip6}_tables.c +-< translate_table And it can be leaked on this code path: +-> ip6t_register_table +-> translate_table # allocates percpu counter block +-> xt_register_table # fails there is no freeing of the counter block on xt_register_table fail. Note: xt_percpu_counter_free should be called to free it like we do in do_replace through cleanup_entry helper (or in __ip6t_unregister_table). Probability of hitting this error path is low AFAICS (xt_register_table can only return ENOMEM here, as it is not replacing anything, as we are creating new netns, and it is hard to imagine that all previous allocations succeeded and after that one in xt_register_table failed). But it's worth fixing even the rare leak.

MediumCVSS 5.5 · v3.1—No exploit Fix available
Published
Sep 15, 2025
Updated
Jun 17, 2026
EPSS
0.1% · 5th percentile

Report tools

JSON

Action score

22

Monitor

Low priority for now.

CVSS
22 / 40 · 5.5 / 10
CISA KEV
0 / 30 · Not listed
EPSS
0 / 30 · 0.1%

Get told when this record changes

  • Not in KEV: no record of exploitation in the wild
  • No public exploit code on record
  • A fix has been released

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When you'll hear from us

  • when it enters CISA KEV
  • when exploit code appears or is weaponized
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  • when EPSS rises 20 points in a week

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Noroxi analysis

What does it mean in your environment?

The assessment above is generated automatically from the record's data; it doesn't know your environment. Our team verifies on your systems whether this vulnerability is actually exploitable and which mitigation is enough.

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Affected systems

Is your version affected?

Pick the product and type the version you run. It's compared with this record's version ranges in your browser; the version isn't sent anywhere.

VendorProduct
linuxlinux kernel

Affected versions

NVD version ranges (for catalog products). Add the product to your stack with a version and matching uses these.

  • linux linux kernel4.2 and later · before 5.15.100
  • linux linux kernel5.16 and later · before 6.1.18
  • linux linux kernel6.2 and later · before 6.2.5

Versions reported by the vendor

Affected version ranges reported by the assigning authority (Linux). Independent of NVD's CPE analysis and usually ahead of it.

  • Linux Linux

    • 4.2affected
    • 71ae0dff02d756e4d2ca710b79f2ff5390029a5f and later · before e306dbee4c98025a9326386023a12ef4d887e9d1affected · git
    • 71ae0dff02d756e4d2ca710b79f2ff5390029a5f and later · before 512b6c4b83c91d007301ea7d7f095d16c3aceacdaffected · git
    • 71ae0dff02d756e4d2ca710b79f2ff5390029a5f and later · before 3cc9610a87b7dde82f7360dd4eb6c2c27940ed57affected · git
    • 71ae0dff02d756e4d2ca710b79f2ff5390029a5f and later · before 0af8c09c896810879387decfba8c942994bb61f5affected · git
    • before 4.2not affected · semver
    • 5.15.100 and later · up to and including 5.15.*not affected · semver
    • 6.1.18 and later · up to and including 6.1.*not affected · semver
    • 6.2.5 and later · up to and including 6.2.*not affected · semver
    • 6.3 and laternot affected · original_commit_for_fix

Package-level exposure

OSV and GitHub Advisory data: ecosystem, package and range. SBOM matching uses this table.

EcosystemPackageAffected rangeFix
Debian:12linuxbefore 6.1.20-16.1.20-1

Same product

linux: all records

Other highest-scoring records for the same primary product.

  • CVE-2026-31431crypto: algif_aead - Revert to operating out-of-placeKEV
    90Now
  • CVE-2022-0847A flaw was found in the way the "flags" member of the new pipe buffer structure was lacking proper initialization in copy_page_to_iter_pipe KEV
    89Now
  • CVE-2021-22555Heap Out-Of-Bounds Write in Netfilter IP6T_SO_SET_REPLACEKEV
    85Now

Published before and after this one in the same product

  • ← EarlierCVE-2022-50337Sep 15, 2025 · ocxl: fix pci device refcount leak when calling get_function_0()
    22Monitor
  • ← EarlierCVE-2023-53199Sep 15, 2025 · wifi: ath9k: hif_usb: clean up skbs if ath9k_hif_usb_rx_stream() fails
    22Monitor
  • Later →CVE-2023-53201Sep 15, 2025 · RDMA/bnxt_re: wraparound mbox producer index
    22Monitor

Remediation

Which version to upgrade to

Fix versions compiled from the vendor, package registries and Microsoft. Verify the vendor's note before upgrading.

Product / packageFixed versionSource
Linux Linux0af8c09c896810879387decfba8c942994bb61f5Vendor (CNA)
Linux Linux3cc9610a87b7dde82f7360dd4eb6c2c27940ed57Vendor (CNA)
Linux Linux512b6c4b83c91d007301ea7d7f095d16c3aceacdVendor (CNA)
Linux Linuxe306dbee4c98025a9326386023a12ef4d887e9d1Vendor (CNA)
debian:linux6.1.20-1 · Debian:12Package registry (OSV)

Exploit status

No known public exploit

No public exploit has been observed yet. That doesn't mean you're safe, only that the bar is a little higher.

Research context

For pentesters and researchers: attack profile, score disagreement, timeline, patch commits, credits, variant and chain candidates, bug bounty scope. All derived from existing data; no exploit code.

Timeline

From publication to today: proof of concept, Metasploit module, CISA KEV and fix record. Dates are as reported by the sources.

No dated events beyond publication.

No history yet (it accumulates with the daily EPSS job).

Patch and commit links

Commit, PR and diff links among the references. A starting point for patch-diffing and variant hunting; fixes, not exploits.

No commit or PR link among the references.

Credits

All researchers

Finders, reporters and analysts named in the CNA record. Click a name for that researcher’s other records.

No credits in the CNA record.

Variant candidates

Same product, same weakness class, within 18 months. If the patch missed the root cause, the sibling bug is here.

No nightly-computed relations.

Chain candidates

An authentication bypass and a privilege-requiring bug in the same product, published close together: combined they may become an unauthenticated path.

—

Bug bounty scope

No known public program.

Source: bounty-targets-data (public HackerOne, Bugcrowd, Intigriti, YesWeHack listings).

Technical details

Attack conditions

  • Someone with local access to the system can trigger it.
  • A low-privileged account is enough.
  • No user action is required.
  • No special conditions are required; it is repeatable.

If successful

Confidentiality
none
Integrity
none
Availability
high · the service can be disrupted
Attack vector
Local
Attack complexity
Low
Privileges required
Low
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality impact
None
Integrity impact
None
Availability impact
High

Weakness class (CWE)

CWE-401 · Missing Release of Memory after Effective Lifetime

CVSS vector

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

nvd-primary

Attack context

MITRE CAPEC attack patterns and ATT&CK techniques for this weakness class (CWE). A starting point for detection rules and threat hunting.

MITRE has no CAPEC/ATT&CK mapping for this CWE.

Change log

  1. Fix✗ → ✓

For records you follow, these changes also arrive as notifications. →

References

Show all references (3 more)

Vendor advisories and official records. Exploit/PoC links are deliberately left out.

All records