CVE-2023-54038
- Published: 2025-12-24T11:15:56.793
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:
Bluetooth: hci_conn: return ERR_PTR instead of NULL when there is no link
hci_connect_sco currently returns NULL when there is no link (i.e. when
hci_conn_link() returns NULL).
sco_connect() expects an ERR_PTR in case of any error (see line 266 in
sco.c). Thus, hcon set as NULL passes through to sco_conn_add(), which
tries to get hcon->hdev, resulting in dereferencing a NULL pointer as
reported by syzkaller.
The same issue exists for iso_connect_cis() calling hci_connect_cis().
Thus, make hci_connect_sco() and hci_connect_cis() return ERR_PTR
instead of NULL.
Related CVE by CWE
No related CWE found.
Top CVE for Vendor
No vendor taxonomy on this entry.
Recently Exploited Similar Vulnerabilities
No recent KEV-listed items for this vendor/product.
How to fix CVE-2023-54038
Description: In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: Bluetooth: hci_conn: return ERR_PTR instead of NULL when there is no link hci_connect_sco currently returns NULL when there is no link (i.e. when hci_conn_link() returns NULL). sco_connect() expects an ERR_PTR in case of any error (see line 266 in sco.c). Thus, hcon set as NULL […]
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
Exploit Difficulty Assessment
Vulnerability Timeline
CVE details first published to NVD database
Added to this CVE tracking system
Detection Rules & IOCs
No specific detection rules generated for this vulnerability type.
No vendor/product data available.