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CVE-2023-53641· NVD / CVE Program· CNA Linux

wifi: ath9k: hif_usb: fix memory leak of remain_skbs

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 320d760a35273aa815d58b57e4fd9ba5279a3489, 59073060fe0950c6ecbe12bdc06469dcac62128d, 6719e3797ec52cd144c8a5ba8aaab36674800585.

Low priority for now. Upgrade to Linux Linux 320d760a35273aa815d58b57e4fd9ba5279a3489, 59073060fe0950c6ecbe12bdc06469dcac62128d, 6719e3797ec52cd144c8a5ba8aaab36674800585 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: ath9k: hif_usb: fix memory leak of remain_skbs hif_dev->remain_skb is allocated and used exclusively in ath9k_hif_usb_rx_stream(). It is implied that an allocated remain_skb is processed and subsequently freed (in error paths) only during the next call of ath9k_hif_usb_rx_stream(). So, if the urbs are deallocated between those two calls due to the device deinitialization or suspend, it is possible that ath9k_hif_usb_rx_stream() is not called next time and the allocated remain_skb is leaked. Our local Syzkaller instance was able to trigger that. remain_skb makes sense when receiving two consecutive urbs which are logically linked together, i.e. a specific data field from the first skb indicates a cached skb to be allocated, memcpy'd with some data and subsequently processed in the next call to ath9k_hif_usb_rx_stream(). Urbs deallocation supposedly makes that link irrelevant so we need to free the cached skb in those cases. Fix the leak by introducing a function to explicitly free remain_skb (if it is not NULL) when the rx urbs have been deallocated. remain_skb is NULL when it has not been allocated at all (hif_dev struct is kzalloced) or when it has been processed in next call to ath9k_hif_usb_rx_stream(). Found by Linux Verification Center (linuxtesting.org) with Syzkaller.

MediumCVSS 5.5 · v3.1—No exploit Fix available
Published
Oct 7, 2025
Updated
Jun 17, 2026
EPSS
0.1% · 4th 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

If any of these changes, we'll tell you in the daily email digest.

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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 kernel2.6.35 and later · before 4.19.283
  • linux linux kernel4.20 and later · before 5.4.243
  • linux linux kernel5.5 and later · before 5.10.180
  • linux linux kernel5.11 and later · before 5.15.111
  • linux linux kernel5.16 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

    • 2.6.35affected
    • fb9987d0f748c983bb795a86f47522313f701a08 and later · before 6719e3797ec52cd144c8a5ba8aaab36674800585affected · git
    • fb9987d0f748c983bb795a86f47522313f701a08 and later · before d9899318660791141ea6002fda5577b2c5d7386eaffected · git
    • fb9987d0f748c983bb795a86f47522313f701a08 and later · before 320d760a35273aa815d58b57e4fd9ba5279a3489affected · git
    • fb9987d0f748c983bb795a86f47522313f701a08 and later · before 59073060fe0950c6ecbe12bdc06469dcac62128daffected · git
    • fb9987d0f748c983bb795a86f47522313f701a08 and later · before 9b9356a3014123f0ce4b50d9278c1265173150abaffected · git
    • fb9987d0f748c983bb795a86f47522313f701a08 and later · before f0931fc8f4b6847c72e170d2326861c0a081d680affected · git
    • fb9987d0f748c983bb795a86f47522313f701a08 and later · before 8f02d538878c9b1501f624595eb22ee4e5e0ff84affected · git
    • fb9987d0f748c983bb795a86f47522313f701a08 and later · before 7654cc03eb699297130b693ec34e25f77b17c947affected · git
    • before 2.6.35not affected · semver

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
SUSE:Linux Enterprise Live Patching 12 SP5kernel-defaultbefore 4.12.14-122.283.14.12.14-122.283.1
SUSE:Linux Enterprise Live Patching 12 SP5kgraft-patch-SLE12-SP5_Update_75before 1-8.3.11-8.3.1
SUSE:Linux Enterprise Server 12 SP5-LTSSkernel-sourcebefore 4.12.14-122.283.14.12.14-122.283.1
SUSE:Linux Enterprise Server 12 SP5-LTSSkernel-symsbefore 4.12.14-122.283.14.12.14-122.283.1

Same product

linux: all records

Other highest-scoring records for the same primary product.

  • 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
  • CVE-2016-5195Race condition in mm/gup.c in the Linux kernel 2.x through 4.x before 4.8.3 allows local users to gain privileges by leveraging incorrect haKEV
    83Now

Published before and after this one in the same product

  • ← EarlierCVE-2023-53639Oct 7, 2025 · wifi: ath6kl: reduce WARN to dev_dbg() in callback
    22Monitor
  • ← EarlierCVE-2023-53640Oct 7, 2025 · ASoC: lpass: Fix for KASAN use_after_free out of bounds
    31Monitor
  • Later →CVE-2023-53642Oct 7, 2025 · x86: fix clear_user_rep_good() exception handling annotation
    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 Linux320d760a35273aa815d58b57e4fd9ba5279a3489Vendor (CNA)
Linux Linux59073060fe0950c6ecbe12bdc06469dcac62128dVendor (CNA)
Linux Linux6719e3797ec52cd144c8a5ba8aaab36674800585Vendor (CNA)
Linux Linux7654cc03eb699297130b693ec34e25f77b17c947Vendor (CNA)
Linux Linux8f02d538878c9b1501f624595eb22ee4e5e0ff84Vendor (CNA)
Linux Linux9b9356a3014123f0ce4b50d9278c1265173150abVendor (CNA)
Linux Linuxd9899318660791141ea6002fda5577b2c5d7386eVendor (CNA)
Linux Linuxf0931fc8f4b6847c72e170d2326861c0a081d680Vendor (CNA)
debian:linux6.1.37-1 · Debian:12Package registry (OSV)
suse:kernel-default4.12.14-122.283.1 · SUSE:Linux Enterprise Live Patching 12 SP5Package registry (OSV)
suse:kernel-source4.12.14-122.283.1 · SUSE:Linux Enterprise Server 12 SP5-LTSSPackage registry (OSV)
suse:kernel-syms4.12.14-122.283.1 · SUSE:Linux Enterprise Server 12 SP5-LTSSPackage registry (OSV)
suse:kgraft-patch-SLE12-SP5_Update_751-8.3.1 · SUSE:Linux Enterprise Live Patching 12 SP5Package 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.

EPSS, last 120 days

FIRST EPSS daily score; only changes of 0.01 or more are recorded (step chart).

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 (7 more)

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

All records