CVE-2023-38409

Local kernel crash via stale framebuffer mapping

Published Jul 17, 2023 · Updated Oct 30, 2024

Race condition in Linux kernel fbcon before 6.2.12 allows local users to crash the system by remapping framebuffer consoles. The set_con2fb_map function updates con2fb_map only for the first virtual console, leaving later consoles pointed to old fb_info state while display modes move to the new framebuffer. Exploitation requires local low-privileged access and an fbcon configuration with multiple consoles and framebuffers; the consequence is loss of availability.

CVSS severity5.5
Medium
EPSS probability0.19%
Next 30 days · Sep 16, 2026
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Based on sourced intelligence
Hinoki checkNot available
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Summary

What happened

Race condition in Linux kernel fbcon before 6.2.12 allows local users to crash the system by remapping framebuffer consoles. The set_con2fb_map function updates con2fb_map only for the first virtual console, leaving later consoles pointed to old fb_info state while display modes move to the new framebuffer. Exploitation requires local low-privileged access and an fbcon configuration with multiple consoles and framebuffers; the consequence is loss of availability.

The record

CVE
CVE-2023-38409
Published
Jul 17, 2023
Updated
Oct 30, 2024
Vendor
Unknown vendor
Product
Unknown product
Classifications
CWE-362, T1499
Attack vector
local
Privileges
authenticated

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. Jul 17, 2023CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
  2. Oct 30, 2024Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.

Exploitability

Present is not the same as exploitable

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Is a vulnerable build present?

Affected buildAffected product and version details are unavailable.

What conditions does exploitation require?

Attack vectorlocal
Required privilegesauthenticated

What is affected?

Affected products and versions are unavailable in this record.

Published CVSS scores

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-362Concurrent Execution using Shared Resource with Improper Synchronization ('Race Condition')
T1499Endpoint Denial of Service

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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