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NVD / CVE Program· CNA Linux

CVE-2023-53532: wifi: ath11k: fix deinitialization of firmware resources

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: 0.14% (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 0324300dce3412d4737b4ec5898d0188495a7caa, 5a78ac33e3cb8822da64dd1af196e83664b332b0, 8faf862d81ab197757761e87d0a99fbb96ab2cf0.

Low priority for now. Upgrade to Linux Linux 0324300dce3412d4737b4ec5898d0188495a7caa, 5a78ac33e3cb8822da64dd1af196e83664b332b0, 8faf862d81ab197757761e87d0a99fbb96ab2cf0 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: wifi: ath11k: fix deinitialization of firmware resources Currently, in ath11k_ahb_fw_resources_init(), iommu domain mapping is done only for the chipsets having fixed firmware memory. Also, for such chipsets, mapping is done only if it does not have TrustZone support. During deinitialization, only if TrustZone support is not there, iommu is unmapped back. However, for non fixed firmware memory chipsets, TrustZone support is not there and this makes the condition check to true and it tries to unmap the memory which was not mapped during initialization. This leads to the following trace - [ 83.198790] Unable to handle kernel NULL pointer dereference at virtual address 0000000000000008 [ 83.259537] Modules linked in: ath11k_ahb ath11k qmi_helpers .. snip .. [ 83.280286] pstate: 20000005 (nzCv daif -PAN -UAO -TCO -DIT -SSBS BTYPE=--) [ 83.287228] pc : __iommu_unmap+0x30/0x140 [ 83.293907] lr : iommu_unmap+0x5c/0xa4 [ 83.298072] sp : ffff80000b3abad0 .. snip .. [ 83.369175] Call trace: [ 83.376282] __iommu_unmap+0x30/0x140 [ 83.378541] iommu_unmap+0x5c/0xa4 [ 83.382360] ath11k_ahb_fw_resource_deinit.part.12+0x2c/0xac [ath11k_ahb] [ 83.385666] ath11k_ahb_free_resources+0x140/0x17c [ath11k_ahb] [ 83.392521] ath11k_ahb_shutdown+0x34/0x40 [ath11k_ahb] [ 83.398248] platform_shutdown+0x20/0x2c [ 83.403455] device_shutdown+0x16c/0x1c4 [ 83.407621] kernel_restart_prepare+0x34/0x3c [ 83.411529] kernel_restart+0x14/0x74 [ 83.415781] __do_sys_reboot+0x1c4/0x22c [ 83.419427] __arm64_sys_reboot+0x1c/0x24 [ 83.423420] invoke_syscall+0x44/0xfc [ 83.427326] el0_svc_common.constprop.3+0xac/0xe8 [ 83.430974] do_el0_svc+0xa0/0xa8 [ 83.435659] el0_svc+0x1c/0x44 [ 83.438957] el0t_64_sync_handler+0x60/0x144 [ 83.441910] el0t_64_sync+0x15c/0x160 [ 83.446343] Code: aa0103f4 f9400001 f90027a1 d2800001 (f94006a0) [ 83.449903] ---[ end trace 0000000000000000 ]--- This can be reproduced by probing an AHB chipset which is not having a fixed memory region. During reboot (or rmmod) trace can be seen. Fix this issue by adding a condition check on firmware fixed memory hw_param as done in the counter initialization function. Tested-on: IPQ8074 hw2.0 AHB WLAN.HK.2.7.0.1-01744-QCAHKSWPL_SILICONZ-1

MediumCVSS 5.5 · v3.1—No exploit Fix available
Published
Oct 1, 2025
Updated
Jun 17, 2026
EPSS
0.1% · 3th 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%

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  • A fix has been released

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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 kernel5.19 and later · before 6.1.28
  • linux linux kernel6.2 and later · before 6.2.15
  • linux linux kernel6.3 and later · before 6.3.2

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

    • 5.19affected
    • f9eec4947add999e1251bf14365a48a655b786a4 and later · before 0324300dce3412d4737b4ec5898d0188495a7caaaffected · git
    • f9eec4947add999e1251bf14365a48a655b786a4 and later · before 8faf862d81ab197757761e87d0a99fbb96ab2cf0affected · git
    • f9eec4947add999e1251bf14365a48a655b786a4 and later · before a1548363582a8066edd4986f839d785f13dda3aaaffected · git
    • f9eec4947add999e1251bf14365a48a655b786a4 and later · before 5a78ac33e3cb8822da64dd1af196e83664b332b0affected · git
    • before 5.19not affected · semver
    • 6.1.28 and later · up to and including 6.1.*not affected · semver
    • 6.2.15 and later · up to and including 6.2.*not affected · semver
    • 6.3.2 and later · up to and including 6.3.*not affected · semver
    • 6.4 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 6.1.37-16.1.37-1
Debian:13linuxbefore 6.3.7-16.3.7-1

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-2023-53530Oct 1, 2025 · scsi: qla2xxx: Use raw_smp_processor_id() instead of smp_processor_id()
    22Monitor
  • ← EarlierCVE-2023-53531Oct 1, 2025 · null_blk: fix poll request timeout handling
    22Monitor
  • Later →CVE-2022-50432Oct 1, 2025 · kernfs: fix use-after-free in __kernfs_remove
    31Monitor

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 Linux0324300dce3412d4737b4ec5898d0188495a7caaVendor (CNA)
Linux Linux5a78ac33e3cb8822da64dd1af196e83664b332b0Vendor (CNA)
Linux Linux8faf862d81ab197757761e87d0a99fbb96ab2cf0Vendor (CNA)
Linux Linuxa1548363582a8066edd4986f839d785f13dda3aaVendor (CNA)
debian:linux6.1.37-1 · 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.

  • CVE-2024-50302316 days apartHID: core: zero-initialize the report bufferKEV
    52Plan
  • CVE-2026-52989266 days apartnvmet-tcp: propagate nvmet_tcp_build_pdu_iovec() errors to its callers
    39Monitor
  • CVE-2026-53225267 days apartsctp: fix uninit-value in __sctp_rcv_asconf_lookup()
    36Monitor
  • CVE-2024-47685345 days apartnetfilter: nf_reject_ipv6: fix nf_reject_ip6_tcphdr_put()
    36Monitor
  • CVE-2026-53170267 days apartaccel/ethosu: reject DMA commands with uninitialized length
    35Monitor
  • CVE-2026-43139217 days apartxfrm6: fix uninitialized saddr in xfrm6_get_saddr()
    34Monitor

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-908 · Use of Uninitialized Resource

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✗ → ✓

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References

Show all references (3 more)

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

All records