Skip to content
Noroxi
NVD / CVE Program· CNA Linux

CVE-2023-54198: tty: fix out-of-bounds access in tty_driver_lookup_tty()

Noroxi assessment

Priority: Monitor (action score 31/100)

  • 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 3df6f492f500a16c231f07ccc6f6ed1302caddf9, 765566110eb0da3cf60198b0165ecceeaafa6444, 84ea44dc3e4ecb2632586238014bf6722aa5843b.

Low priority for now. Upgrade to Linux Linux 3df6f492f500a16c231f07ccc6f6ed1302caddf9, 765566110eb0da3cf60198b0165ecceeaafa6444, 84ea44dc3e4ecb2632586238014bf6722aa5843b 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: tty: fix out-of-bounds access in tty_driver_lookup_tty() When specifying an invalid console= device like console=tty3270, tty_driver_lookup_tty() returns the tty struct without checking whether index is a valid number. To reproduce: qemu-system-x86_64 -enable-kvm -nographic -serial mon:stdio \ -kernel ../linux-build-x86/arch/x86/boot/bzImage \ -append "console=ttyS0 console=tty3270" This crashes with: [ 0.770599] BUG: kernel NULL pointer dereference, address: 00000000000000ef [ 0.771265] #PF: supervisor read access in kernel mode [ 0.771773] #PF: error_code(0x0000) - not-present page [ 0.772609] Oops: 0000 [#1] PREEMPT SMP PTI [ 0.774878] RIP: 0010:tty_open+0x268/0x6f0 [ 0.784013] chrdev_open+0xbd/0x230 [ 0.784444] ? cdev_device_add+0x80/0x80 [ 0.784920] do_dentry_open+0x1e0/0x410 [ 0.785389] path_openat+0xca9/0x1050 [ 0.785813] do_filp_open+0xaa/0x150 [ 0.786240] file_open_name+0x133/0x1b0 [ 0.786746] filp_open+0x27/0x50 [ 0.787244] console_on_rootfs+0x14/0x4d [ 0.787800] kernel_init_freeable+0x1e4/0x20d [ 0.788383] ? rest_init+0xc0/0xc0 [ 0.788881] kernel_init+0x11/0x120 [ 0.789356] ret_from_fork+0x22/0x30

HighCVSS 7.8 · v3.1—No exploit Fix available
Published
Dec 30, 2025
Updated
Oct 28, 2026
EPSS
0.1% · 4th percentile
CWE
—

Report tools

JSON

Action score

31

Monitor

Low priority for now.

CVSS
31 / 40 · 7.8 / 10
CISA KEV
0 / 30 · Not listed
EPSS
0 / 30 · 0.1%

CISA SSVC decision

Exploitation
none
Automatable
no
Technical impact
total

Vulnrichment: CISA's decision-tree inputs.

CNA vs NVD score

NVD
—
CNA · Linux
7.8
NVD has not scored this yet; the score shown is the CNA’s.

The score given by the assigning authority versus NVD’s independent score. A gap means the severity is contested.

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.

Follow CVE-2023-54198

When you'll hear from us

  • when it enters CISA KEV
  • when exploit code appears or is weaponized
  • when the record is updated (including a fixed version)
  • when EPSS rises 20 points in a week

One daily email digest (06:00 UTC); connect a webhook for KEV listings and weaponized exploits instantly.

Your free account also gets you

Running WordPress? Scan your site free with WP Lens

  • Stack alerts: add the products and versions you run, get the new CVEs that affect them
  • Uptime monitoring: 1 site, instant email when it goes down
  • Add your domain: subdomains and takeover risk scanned every week (1 domain)
  • 10 scans an hour on the security tools (3 a day without an account), an API key and MCP
  • All your scans in one panel: findings, what changed in the last scan, a report per domain or per client (PDF, share link)
All free tools

Sign up with email · Have an account? Sign in

Free account, no card. Unfollow any time.

Don't want an account? Get "Exploited this week" by email every MondayDon't want an account? RSS feed for linux records

Running WordPress? Scan your site free with WP Lens

Is your version affected? Check it

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.

We use this product, ask for help

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.

—

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

    • 2.6.28affected
    • 99f1fe189daf8e99a847e420567e49dd7ee2aae7 and later · before 3df6f492f500a16c231f07ccc6f6ed1302caddf9affected · git
    • 99f1fe189daf8e99a847e420567e49dd7ee2aae7 and later · before b79109d6470aaae7062998353e3a19449055829daffected · git
    • 99f1fe189daf8e99a847e420567e49dd7ee2aae7 and later · before 953a4a352a0c185460ae1449e4c6e6658e55fdfcaffected · git
    • 99f1fe189daf8e99a847e420567e49dd7ee2aae7 and later · before 84ea44dc3e4ecb2632586238014bf6722aa5843baffected · git
    • 99f1fe189daf8e99a847e420567e49dd7ee2aae7 and later · before f9d9d25ad1f0d060eaf297a2f7f03b5855a45561affected · git
    • 99f1fe189daf8e99a847e420567e49dd7ee2aae7 and later · before 765566110eb0da3cf60198b0165ecceeaafa6444affected · git
    • 99f1fe189daf8e99a847e420567e49dd7ee2aae7 and later · before fcfeaa570f7a5c2d5f4f14931909531ff18b7fdeaffected · git
    • 99f1fe189daf8e99a847e420567e49dd7ee2aae7 and later · before db4df8e9d79e7d37732c1a1b560958e8dadfefa1affected · git
    • before 2.6.28not affected · semver

Package-level exposure

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

EcosystemPackageAffected rangeFix
Debian:12linuxbefore 6.1.20-16.1.20-1

Same product

linux: all records

Other highest-scoring records for the same primary product.

  • CVE-2026-74705udp: fix potential use-after-free in tunnel segmentation
    40Plan
  • CVE-2026-74612veth: fix skb length accounting after XDP frag adjustment
    40Plan
  • CVE-2026-74475vxlan: use neigh_ha_snapshot() in route_shortcircuit()
    40Plan

Published before and after this one in the same product

  • ← EarlierCVE-2023-54196Dec 30, 2025 · fs/ntfs3: Fix NULL pointer dereference in 'ni_write_inode'
    0Monitor
  • ← EarlierCVE-2023-54197Dec 30, 2025 · Revert "Bluetooth: btsdio: fix use after free bug in btsdio_remove due to unfinished work"
    0Monitor
  • Later →CVE-2023-54199Dec 30, 2025 · drm/msm/adreno: Fix null ptr access in adreno_gpu_cleanup()
    0Monitor

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 Linux3df6f492f500a16c231f07ccc6f6ed1302caddf9Vendor (CNA)
Linux Linux765566110eb0da3cf60198b0165ecceeaafa6444Vendor (CNA)
Linux Linux84ea44dc3e4ecb2632586238014bf6722aa5843bVendor (CNA)
Linux Linux953a4a352a0c185460ae1449e4c6e6658e55fdfcVendor (CNA)
Linux Linuxb79109d6470aaae7062998353e3a19449055829dVendor (CNA)
Linux Linuxdb4df8e9d79e7d37732c1a1b560958e8dadfefa1Vendor (CNA)
Linux Linuxf9d9d25ad1f0d060eaf297a2f7f03b5855a45561Vendor (CNA)
Linux Linuxfcfeaa570f7a5c2d5f4f14931909531ff18b7fdeVendor (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
high · data can be read
Integrity
high · data or configuration can be modified
Availability
high · the service can be disrupted
Attack vector
Local
Attack complexity
Low
Privileges required
Low
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality impact
High
Integrity impact
High
Availability impact
High

Weakness class (CWE)

—

CVSS vector

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

nvd-secondary

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. SSVC exploitation— → none
  2. 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