Local kernel crash via repeated DLCI release
Published Mar 2, 2024 · Updated May 23, 2026
NULL pointer dereference in the Linux kernel n_gsm line discipline allows local users to crash the kernel during tty teardown. gsm_cleanup_mux clears a DLCI pointer before gsm_dlci_release finishes, allowing repeated dlci_put calls while gsm_dlci_free remains pending and causing tty_port_put to dereference NULL. Exploitation requires low-privileged local access to trigger n_gsm teardown, and the documented consequence is an availability-only kernel fault.
Summary
What happened
NULL pointer dereference in the Linux kernel n_gsm line discipline allows local users to crash the kernel during tty teardown. gsm_cleanup_mux clears a DLCI pointer before gsm_dlci_release finishes, allowing repeated dlci_put calls while gsm_dlci_free remains pending and causing tty_port_put to dereference NULL. Exploitation requires low-privileged local access to trigger n_gsm teardown, and the documented consequence is an availability-only kernel fault.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2023-52564
- Published
- Mar 2, 2024
- Updated
- May 23, 2026
- Vendor
- The Linux Kernel Organization
- Product
- Linux
- Classifications
- CWE-476, T1499
- Attack vector
- local
- Privileges
- authenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Mar 2, 2024CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- May 23, 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=5.10.190 <5.10.198
- Affected versionversion=5138c228311a863c3cf937b94a3ab4c87f1f70c4 <a48d2bcd23f2c98d575bc2f9b7a3fbd16aeea9eb
- Affected versionversion=5.15.124 <5.15.134
- Affected versionversion=6.1.43 <6.1.56
- Affected versionversion=6.4.8 <6.5
- Affected versionversion=6.5
- Affected versionversion=74a8d6f50cc90ed0061997db51dfa81a62b0f835
- Affected versionversion=8fc0eabaa73bbd9bd705577071564616da5c8c61 <6d5c8862932d31a810b6545f7d69ecc124402c6e
- Affected versionversion=9615ca54bc138e35353a001e8b5d4824dce72188 <c61d0b87a7028c2c10faffc524d748334c7b9827
- Affected versionversion=9b9c8195f3f0d74a826077fc1c01b9ee74907239 <29346e217b8ab8a52889b88f00b268278d6b7668
- Affected versionversion=9b9c8195f3f0d74a826077fc1c01b9ee74907239 <2bff660e0ff349dee84dc4f6f6d10da4497f5b28
What conditions does exploitation require?
What is affected?
Published CVSS scores
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Attacks
What attackers are doing with it
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Public exploit references
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Technologies
Your stack
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Your stack
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