CVE-2023-52841

Kernel crash via unchecked network-name allocation

Published May 21, 2024 · Updated May 11, 2026

NULL pointer dereference in the Linux kernel vidtv mux allows local users to crash the kernel after a network-name allocation failure. vidtv_mux_init stores an unchecked NULL return from kstrdup when copying args->network_name and continues with m->network_name unset. Reachability requires local access to the virtual digital-TV test driver and allocation failure; the documented consequence is service interruption, not data access or modification.

CVSS severity5.5
Medium
EPSS probability0.24%
Next 30 days · Sep 16, 2026
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Based on sourced intelligence
Hinoki checkNot available
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Summary

What happened

NULL pointer dereference in the Linux kernel vidtv mux allows local users to crash the kernel after a network-name allocation failure. vidtv_mux_init stores an unchecked NULL return from kstrdup when copying args->network_name and continues with m->network_name unset. Reachability requires local access to the virtual digital-TV test driver and allocation failure; the documented consequence is service interruption, not data access or modification.

The record

CVE
CVE-2023-52841
Published
May 21, 2024
Updated
May 11, 2026
Vendor
The Linux Kernel Organization
Product
Linux
Classifications
CWE-476, CWE-401, T1499.004
Attack vector
local
Privileges
authenticated

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. May 21, 2024CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
  2. May 11, 2026Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.

Exploitability

Present is not the same as exploitable

Compare your product and version with the public record. A matching version still requires validation against your environment.

Is a vulnerable build present?

Compare these published version ranges with your installed build and any vendor patches.

  1. Affected versionversion=5.10
  2. Affected versionversion=c2f78f0cb294aa6f009d3a170f4ee8ad199ba5da <1fd6eb12642e0c32692924ff359c07de4b781d78
  3. Affected versionversion=c2f78f0cb294aa6f009d3a170f4ee8ad199ba5da <64863ba8e6b7651d994c6e6d506cc8aa2ac45edb
  4. Affected versionversion=c2f78f0cb294aa6f009d3a170f4ee8ad199ba5da <980be4c3b0d51c0f873fd750117774561c66cf68
  5. Affected versionversion=c2f78f0cb294aa6f009d3a170f4ee8ad199ba5da <a254ee1ddc592ae1efcce96b8c014e1bd2d5a2b4
  6. Affected versionversion=c2f78f0cb294aa6f009d3a170f4ee8ad199ba5da <aae7598aff291d4d140be1355aa20930af948785
  7. Affected versionversion=c2f78f0cb294aa6f009d3a170f4ee8ad199ba5da <cb13001411999adb158b39e76d94705eb2da100d

What conditions does exploitation require?

Attack vectorlocal
Required privilegesauthenticated

What is affected?

The Linux Kernel Organization · Linuxversion=5.10; version=c2f78f0cb294aa6f009d3a170f4ee8ad199ba5da <1fd6eb12642e0c32692924ff359c07de4b781d78; version=c2f78f0cb294aa6f009d3a170f4ee8ad199ba5da <64863ba8e6b7651d994c6e6d506cc8aa2ac45edb; version=c2f78f0cb294aa6f009d3a170f4ee8ad199ba5da <980be4c3b0d51c0f873fd750117774561c66cf68; version=c2f78f0cb294aa6f009d3a170f4ee8ad199ba5da <a254ee1ddc592ae1efcce96b8c014e1bd2d5a2b4; version=c2f78f0cb294aa6f009d3a170f4ee8ad199ba5da <aae7598aff291d4d140be1355aa20930af948785; version=c2f78f0cb294aa6f009d3a170f4ee8ad199ba5da <cb13001411999adb158b39e76d94705eb2da100d

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-476NULL Pointer Dereference
CWE-401Missing Release of Memory after Effective Lifetime
T1499.004Application or System Exploitation

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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