CVE-2023-52679

Kernel memory corruption via stale phandle reference

Published May 17, 2024 · Updated Aug 5, 2026

Double free in the Open Firmware parser in Linux allows local users to corrupt kernel memory through a malformed phandle map. The of_parse_phandle_with_args_map() inner loop calls of_node_put(new) on a stale reference because new is not reset after being assigned to cur between outer-loop iterations. Reaching the path requires local low-privileged access and a crafted device-tree mapping; triggering it can destabilize the kernel or alter kernel-controlled memory.

CVSS severity7.8
High
EPSS probability0.25%
Next 30 days · Sep 16, 2026
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Based on sourced intelligence
Hinoki checkNot available
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Summary

What happened

Double free in the Open Firmware parser in Linux allows local users to corrupt kernel memory through a malformed phandle map. The of_parse_phandle_with_args_map() inner loop calls of_node_put(new) on a stale reference because new is not reset after being assigned to cur between outer-loop iterations. Reaching the path requires local low-privileged access and a crafted device-tree mapping; triggering it can destabilize the kernel or alter kernel-controlled memory.

The record

CVE
CVE-2023-52679
Published
May 17, 2024
Updated
Aug 5, 2026
Vendor
The Linux Kernel Organization
Product
Linux
Classifications
CWE-415
Attack vector
local
Privileges
authenticated

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. May 17, 2024CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
  2. Aug 5, 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.

  1. Affected versionversion=4.17
  2. Affected versionversion=bd6f2fd5a1d52198468c5cdc3c2472362dff5aaa <26b4d702c44f9e5cf3c5c001ae619a4a001889db
  3. Affected versionversion=bd6f2fd5a1d52198468c5cdc3c2472362dff5aaa <4541004084527ce9e95a818ebbc4e6b293ffca21
  4. Affected versionversion=bd6f2fd5a1d52198468c5cdc3c2472362dff5aaa <4dde83569832f9377362e50f7748463340c5db6b
  5. Affected versionversion=bd6f2fd5a1d52198468c5cdc3c2472362dff5aaa <a0a061151a6200c13149dbcdb6c065203c8425d2
  6. Affected versionversion=bd6f2fd5a1d52198468c5cdc3c2472362dff5aaa <b64d09a4e8596f76d27f4b4a90a1cf6baf6a82f8
  7. Affected versionversion=bd6f2fd5a1d52198468c5cdc3c2472362dff5aaa <b9d760dae5b10e73369b769073525acd7b3be2bd
  8. Affected versionversion=bd6f2fd5a1d52198468c5cdc3c2472362dff5aaa <cafa992134124e785609a406da4ff2b54052aff7
  9. Affected versionversion=bd6f2fd5a1d52198468c5cdc3c2472362dff5aaa <d5f490343c77e6708b6c4aa7dbbfbcbb9546adea

What conditions does exploitation require?

Attack vectorlocal
Required privilegesauthenticated

What is affected?

The Linux Kernel Organization · Linuxversion=4.17; version=bd6f2fd5a1d52198468c5cdc3c2472362dff5aaa <26b4d702c44f9e5cf3c5c001ae619a4a001889db; version=bd6f2fd5a1d52198468c5cdc3c2472362dff5aaa <4541004084527ce9e95a818ebbc4e6b293ffca21; version=bd6f2fd5a1d52198468c5cdc3c2472362dff5aaa <4dde83569832f9377362e50f7748463340c5db6b; version=bd6f2fd5a1d52198468c5cdc3c2472362dff5aaa <a0a061151a6200c13149dbcdb6c065203c8425d2; version=bd6f2fd5a1d52198468c5cdc3c2472362dff5aaa <b64d09a4e8596f76d27f4b4a90a1cf6baf6a82f8; version=bd6f2fd5a1d52198468c5cdc3c2472362dff5aaa <b9d760dae5b10e73369b769073525acd7b3be2bd; version=bd6f2fd5a1d52198468c5cdc3c2472362dff5aaa <cafa992134124e785609a406da4ff2b54052aff7; version=bd6f2fd5a1d52198468c5cdc3c2472362dff5aaa <d5f490343c77e6708b6c4aa7dbbfbcbb9546adea

Published CVSS scores

7.8kernel.orgCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/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.

Daily unique IPsNo honeypot observations are available for this CVE in the selected window.

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-415Double Free

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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