Local privilege escalation via inherited TLS context
Published Feb 28, 2023 · Updated Feb 13, 2025
Use-after-free in the Linux kernel ULP subsystem allows local users to elevate privileges through reused TCP listener sockets. inet_csk_listen_start leaves icsk_ulp_data referencing a TLS context when a connected socket becomes a listener, so accepted sockets inherit stale state. Exploitation requires CONFIG_TLS or CONFIG_XFRM_ESPINTCP; successful memory corruption grants kernel-level code execution, while failure can crash the system.
Summary
What happened
Use-after-free in the Linux kernel ULP subsystem allows local users to elevate privileges through reused TCP listener sockets. inet_csk_listen_start leaves icsk_ulp_data referencing a TLS context when a connected socket becomes a listener, so accepted sockets inherit stale state. Exploitation requires CONFIG_TLS or CONFIG_XFRM_ESPINTCP; successful memory corruption grants kernel-level code execution, while failure can crash the system.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2023-0461
- Published
- Feb 28, 2023
- Updated
- Feb 13, 2025
- Vendor
- The Linux Kernel Organization
- Product
- Linux Kernel
- Classifications
- CWE-416, T1068
- Attack vector
- local
- Privileges
- unauthenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Feb 28, 2023CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- Feb 13, 2025Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.
Exploitability
Present is not the same as exploitable
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Is a vulnerable build present?
Compare these published version ranges with your installed build and any vendor patches.
- Affected versionversion=0 <2c02d41d71f90a5168391b6a5f2954112ba2307c
What conditions does exploitation require?
What is affected?
Published CVSS scores
CVSS describes severity. EPSS estimates exploitation probability.
Attacks
What attackers are doing with it
Daily unique IPs observed by Shadowserver honeypots for known exploited vulnerabilities (KEVs). Missing observations do not establish an absence of attacks.
Public exploit references
- Google kernelCTF CVE-2023-0461 exploitfunctional · demonstrated
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Reported exploitation
- Google kernelCTF CVE-2023-0461 exploit chainexploit chain
Technologies
Your stack
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Your stack
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