CVE-2023-3220

Local denial of service via unchecked allocation

Published Jun 20, 2023 · Updated Mar 11, 2025

NULL pointer dereference in Linux kernel 6.2.0-rc2 allows local users to crash the system through an MSM DPU atomic display check. The dpu_crtc_atomic_check function stores the kzalloc result in pstates and continues without testing for allocation failure, so later use dereferences a NULL pointer. Reachability requires the MSM DPU display driver, a low-privilege local path into an atomic display check, and memory pressure sufficient for the allocation to fail.

CVSS severity5.5
Medium
EPSS probability0.22%
Next 30 days · Sep 16, 2026
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Based on sourced intelligence
Hinoki checkNot available
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Summary

What happened

NULL pointer dereference in Linux kernel 6.2.0-rc2 allows local users to crash the system through an MSM DPU atomic display check. The dpu_crtc_atomic_check function stores the kzalloc result in pstates and continues without testing for allocation failure, so later use dereferences a NULL pointer. Reachability requires the MSM DPU display driver, a low-privilege local path into an atomic display check, and memory pressure sufficient for the allocation to fail.

The record

CVE
CVE-2023-3220
Published
Jun 20, 2023
Updated
Mar 11, 2025
Vendor
The Linux Kernel Organization
Product
Linux Kernel
Classifications
CWE-476, T1499.004
Attack vector
local
Privileges
authenticated

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. Jun 20, 2023CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
  2. Mar 11, 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.

  1. Affected versionversion=6.2.0-rc2

What conditions does exploitation require?

Attack vectorlocal
Required privilegesauthenticated

What is affected?

The Linux Kernel Organization · Linux Kernelversion=6.2.0-rc2

Published CVSS scores

5.5CISA-ADPCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
5.5NIST NVDCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H

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.

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No observations available

Sep 10, 2026Sep 16, 2026
Latest reporting daySep 16, 2026
Latest daily unique IPsUnavailable
Prior 30-day averageUnavailable
SourceShadowserver honeypots (KEV)
Vectorlocal
Privilegesauthenticated
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Public exploitUnconfirmed

Weakness, pattern, technique

CWE-476NULL Pointer Dereference
T1499.004Application or System Exploitation

Public exploit references

No public exploit references are available in this record.

Labels summarize the accepted research assessment. They do not indicate a test against your environment.

Technologies

Your stack

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Your stack

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