CVE-2023-53515
- Published: 2025-10-01T12:15:55.583
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:
virtio-mmio: don’t break lifecycle of vm_dev
vm_dev has a separate lifecycle because it has a ‘struct device’
embedded. Thus, having a release callback for it is correct.
Allocating the vm_dev struct with devres totally breaks this protection,
though. Instead of waiting for the vm_dev release callback, the memory
is freed when the platform_device is removed. Resulting in a
use-after-free when finally the callback is to be called.
To easily see the problem, compile the kernel with
CONFIG_DEBUG_KOBJECT_RELEASE and unbind with sysfs.
The fix is easy, don’t use devres in this case.
Found during my research about object lifetime problems.
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How to fix CVE-2023-53515
Description: In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: virtio-mmio: don’t break lifecycle of vm_dev vm_dev has a separate lifecycle because it has a ‘struct device’ embedded. Thus, having a release callback for it is correct. Allocating the vm_dev struct with devres totally breaks this protection, though. Instead of waiting for the vm_dev release […]
Exploit Difficulty: HARD
⏱️ Time to exploit: > 4 hours
🛠️ Required skills: Advanced security expertise
💰 Public exploits: Rare or not public
How to Fix:
- Check if you're running the affected product
- Update to the latest patched version
- If patching is not immediately possible: restrict network exposure, apply least-privilege access
- Test the fix in a staging environment first
- Review logs for signs of exploitation
- Monitor for IOCs (Indicators of Compromise)
- Enable automatic security updates
- Set up vulnerability monitoring
- Review and harden security configurations
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