System crash via USB descriptor race
Published Jul 6, 2023 · Updated May 5, 2025
An out-of-bounds read in the Linux kernel USB subsystem through 6.4.2 allows physically proximate attackers to crash the system. A race in hub_port_init overwrites udev->descriptor while descriptors_read traverses configuration descriptors, causing a read beyond the allocated array. Exploitation requires presenting a crafted USB device while descriptor enumeration and a sysfs descriptor read overlap; the documented consequence is a kernel crash.
Summary
What happened
An out-of-bounds read in the Linux kernel USB subsystem through 6.4.2 allows physically proximate attackers to crash the system. A race in hub_port_init overwrites udev->descriptor while descriptors_read traverses configuration descriptors, causing a read beyond the allocated array. Exploitation requires presenting a crafted USB device while descriptor enumeration and a sysfs descriptor read overlap; the documented consequence is a kernel crash.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2023-37453
- Published
- Jul 6, 2023
- Updated
- May 5, 2025
- Vendor
- Unknown vendor
- Product
- Unknown product
- Classifications
- CWE-125, T1499.004, T1200
- Attack vector
- physical
- Privileges
- unauthenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Jul 6, 2023CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- May 5, 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 USB descriptor-race reproducerproof of concept · demonstrated
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Technologies
Your stack
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Your stack
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