System crash via HCI UART protocol race
Published Apr 24, 2023 · Updated Nov 3, 2025
A race condition in the Linux kernel 6.2 Bluetooth HCI UART driver allows local users to cause a system crash through concurrent ioctls. In hci_uart_tty_ioctl, HCIUARTSETPROTO marks HCI_UART_PROTO_SET before assigning hu->proto, while a concurrent HCIUARTGETPROTO dereferences the still-null pointer. Reaching the race requires local access and CAP_NET_ADMIN in the initial user namespace; successful exploitation interrupts the host by crashing the kernel.
Summary
What happened
A race condition in the Linux kernel 6.2 Bluetooth HCI UART driver allows local users to cause a system crash through concurrent ioctls. In hci_uart_tty_ioctl, HCIUARTSETPROTO marks HCI_UART_PROTO_SET before assigning hu->proto, while a concurrent HCIUARTGETPROTO dereferences the still-null pointer. Reaching the race requires local access and CAP_NET_ADMIN in the initial user namespace; successful exploitation interrupts the host by crashing the kernel.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2023-31083
- Published
- Apr 24, 2023
- Updated
- Nov 3, 2025
- Vendor
- Unknown vendor
- Product
- Unknown product
- Classifications
- CWE-476, CWE-362, T1499
- Attack vector
- local
- Privileges
- admin
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Apr 24, 2023CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- Nov 3, 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?
What conditions does exploitation require?
What is affected?
Affected products and versions are unavailable in this record.
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.
Weakness, pattern, technique
Public exploit references
- Syzkaller C reproducer for hci_uart_tty_ioctl crashproof of concept · demonstrated
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Technologies
Your stack
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Your stack
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