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🛡️ CVE-2023-53252 — kernel

🟠 CVSS 7.8 — High ✅ No Known Exploit NVD
7.8
CVSS Score
0 Low4 Medium7 High9 Critical10

Description

Bluetooth: use RCU for hci_conn_params and iterate safely in hci_sync

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

Bluetooth: use RCU for hci_conn_params and iterate safely in hci_sync

hci_update_accept_list_sync iterates over hdev->pend_le_conns and

hdev->pend_le_reports, and waits for controller events in the loop body,

without holding hdev lock.

Meanwhile, these lists and the items may be modified e.g. by

le_scan_cleanup. This can invalidate the list cursor or any other item

in the list, resulting to invalid behavior (eg use-after-free).

Use RCU for the hci_conn_params action lists. Since the loop bodies in

hci_sync block and we cannot use RCU or hdev->lock for the whole loop,

copy list items first and then iterate on the copy. Only the flags field

is written from elsewhere, so READ_ONCE/WRITE_ONCE should guarantee we

read valid values.

Free params everywhere with hci_conn_params_free so the cleanup is

guaranteed to be done properly.

This fixes the following, which can be triggered e.g. by BlueZ new

mgmt-tester case "Add + Remove Device Nowait - Success", or by changing

hci_le_set_cig_params to always return false, and running iso-tester:

==================================================================

BUG: KASAN: slab-use-after-free in hci_update_passive_scan_sync (net/bluetooth/hci_sync.c:2536 net/bluetooth/hci_sync.c:2723 net/bluetooth/hci_sync.c:2841)

Read of size 8 at addr ffff888001265018 by task kworker/u3:0/32

Hardware name: QEMU Standard PC (Q35 + ICH9, 2009), BIOS 1.16.2-1.fc38 04/01/2014

Workqueue: hci0 hci_cmd_sync_work

Call Trace:

<TASK>

dump_stack_lvl (./arch/x86/include/asm/irqflags.h:134 lib/dump_stack.c:107)

print_report (mm/kasan/report.c:320 mm/kasan/report.c:430)

? __virt_addr_valid (./include/linux/mmzone.h:1915 ./include/linux/mmzone.h:2011 arch/x86/mm/physaddr.c:65)

? hci_update_passive_scan_sync (net/bluetooth/hci_sync.c:2536 net/bluetooth/hci_sync.c:2723 net/bluetooth/hci_sync.c:2841)

kasan_report (mm/kasan/report.c:538)

? hci_update_passive_scan_sync (net/bluetooth/hci_sync.c:2536 net/bluetooth/hci_sync.c:2723 net/bluetooth/hci_sync.c:2841)

hci_update_passive_scan_sync (net/bluetooth/hci_sync.c:2536 net/bluetooth/hci_sync.c:2723 net/bluetooth/hci_sync.c:2841)

? __pfx_hci_update_passive_scan_sync (net/bluetooth/hci_sync.c:2780)

? mutex_lock (kernel/locking/mutex.c:282)

? __pfx_mutex_lock (kernel/locking/mutex.c:282)

? __pfx_mutex_unlock (kernel/locking/mutex.c:538)

? __pfx_update_passive_scan_sync (net/bluetooth/hci_sync.c:2861)

hci_cmd_sync_work (net/bluetooth/hci_sync.c:306)

process_one_work (./arch/x86/include/asm/preempt.h:27 kernel/workqueue.c:2399)

worker_thread (./include/linux/list.h:292 kernel/workqueue.c:2538)

? __pfx_worker_thread (kernel/workqueue.c:2480)

kthread (kernel/kthread.c:376)

? __pfx_kthread (kernel/kthread.c:331)

ret_from_fork (arch/x86/entry/entry_64.S:314)

</TASK>

Allocated by task 31:

kasan_save_stack (mm/kasan/common.c:46)

kasan_set_track (mm/kasan/common.c:52)

__kasan_kmalloc (mm/kasan/common.c:374 mm/kasan/common.c:383)

hci_conn_params_add (./include/linux/slab.h:580 ./include/linux/slab.h:720 net/bluetooth/hci_core.c:2277)

hci_connect_le_scan (net/bluetooth/hci_conn.c:1419 net/bluetooth/hci_conn.c:1589)

hci_connect_cis (net/bluetooth/hci_conn.c:2266)

iso_connect_cis (net/bluetooth/iso.c:390)

iso_sock_connect (net/bluetooth/iso.c:899)

__sys_connect (net/socket.c:2003 net/socket.c:2020)

__x64_sys_connect (net/socket.c:2027)

do_syscall_64 (arch/x86/entry/common.c:50 arch/x86/entry/common.c:80)

entry_SYSCALL_64_after_hwframe (arch/x86/entry/entry_64.S:120)

Freed by task 15:

kasan_save_stack (mm/kasan/common.c:46)

kasan_set_track (mm/kasan/common.c:52)

kasan_save_free_info (mm/kasan/generic.c:523)

__kasan_slab_free (mm/kasan/common.c:238 mm/kasan/common.c:200 mm/kasan/common.c:244)

__kmem_cache_free (mm/slub.c:1807 mm/slub.c:3787 mm/slub.c:3800)

hci_conn_params_del (net/bluetooth/hci_core.c:2323)

le_scan_cleanup (net/bluetooth/hci_conn.c:202)

process_one_work (./arch/x86/include/asm/preempt.

---truncated---

How this vulnerability can be exploited

This issue can be reached with local access to the system, attack complexity is low, an attacker needs low-level privileges on the target. No user interaction is required. The scope is unchanged, so the impact stays within the vulnerable component. Rated impact: confidentiality high, integrity high, availability high.

CVSS metrics in full

The score comes from this vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

  • Attack vector: Local — a local account, shell or session on the host is needed.
  • Attack complexity: Low — the attack works reliably, with no preparation.
  • Privileges required: Low — an ordinary user account is enough.
  • User interaction: None — nobody has to be tricked into anything.
  • Scope: Unchanged — the damage stays inside the vulnerable component.
  • Confidentiality impact: High — total loss, or loss the attacker controls.
  • Integrity impact: High — total loss, or loss the attacker controls.
  • Availability impact: High — total loss, or loss the attacker controls.

Affected software

CVE-2023-53252 is recorded against 2 packages.

  • kernel (from 6.2.0 up to 6.4.7)
  • linux-kernel

Timeline and source

Published on 15 September 2025 and last revised on 12 August 2026. No public exploit is currently recorded for this entry. A vendor advisory or fix has been published. Record sourced from NVD.

References

git.kernel.org (Web)
git.kernel.org (Web)
git.kernel.org (Web)
github.com (Advisory)
nvd.nist.gov (Advisory)
git.kernel.org (Package)

Other advisories for this package

kernel has other advisories on record. If you are patching this one, these are worth checking on the same host:

CVE-2023-53252 on other distributions

Each distribution ships its own build and its own fixed version. Pick the one you run:

Details

Severity High
CVSS Score 7.8
CVSS Vector CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
CWE N/A
Public Exploit ✅ No
Source NVD
Published 2025-09-15
Updated 2026-08-20
Modified 2026-08-12

Affected Packages

Software From version Fixed in
kernel 6.2.0 6.4.7
linux-kernel — —

Similar Threats

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