Kernel crash via unchecked BOS descriptor pointer
Published Feb 29, 2024 · Updated May 11, 2026
NULL pointer dereference in the Linux kernel USB hub code allows local users to crash the system when BOS descriptor retrieval fails. Functions in drivers/usb/core/hub.c and hub.h access fields through udev->bos without first verifying that usb_get_bos_descriptor() allocated and initialized it. Exploitation requires local access and a BOS retrieval failure; the reported consequence is a kernel crash, not data access or modification.
Summary
What happened
NULL pointer dereference in the Linux kernel USB hub code allows local users to crash the system when BOS descriptor retrieval fails. Functions in drivers/usb/core/hub.c and hub.h access fields through udev->bos without first verifying that usb_get_bos_descriptor() allocated and initialized it. Exploitation requires local access and a BOS retrieval failure; the reported consequence is a kernel crash, not data access or modification.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2023-52477
- Published
- Feb 29, 2024
- Updated
- May 11, 2026
- Vendor
- The Linux Kernel Organization
- Product
- Linux
- Classifications
- CWE-476, T1499.004
- Attack vector
- local
- Privileges
- authenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Feb 29, 2024CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- May 11, 2026Record 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=0cdd49a1d1a483d80170d9e592f832274e8bce1b <136f69a04e71ba3458d137aec3bb2ce1232c0289
- Affected versionversion=0cdd49a1d1a483d80170d9e592f832274e8bce1b <241f230324337ed5eae3846a554fb6d15169872c
- Affected versionversion=0cdd49a1d1a483d80170d9e592f832274e8bce1b <528f0ba9f7a4bc1b61c9b6eb591ff97ca37cac6b
- Affected versionversion=0cdd49a1d1a483d80170d9e592f832274e8bce1b <6ad3e9fd3632106696692232bf7ff88b9f7e1bc3
- Affected versionversion=0cdd49a1d1a483d80170d9e592f832274e8bce1b <8e7346bfea56453e31b7421c1c17ca2fb9ed613d
- Affected versionversion=0cdd49a1d1a483d80170d9e592f832274e8bce1b <c64e4dca9aefd232b17ac4c779b608b286654e81
- Affected versionversion=0cdd49a1d1a483d80170d9e592f832274e8bce1b <f74a7afc224acd5e922c7a2e52244d891bbe44ee
- Affected versionversion=0cdd49a1d1a483d80170d9e592f832274e8bce1b <fb9895ab9533534335fa83d70344b397ac862c81
- Affected versionversion=4.6
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.
Weakness, pattern, technique
Public exploit references
No public exploit references are available in this record.
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Technologies
Your stack
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Your stack
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