Kernel crash via uncanceled device-removal timer
Published May 21, 2024 · Updated Aug 5, 2026
Use-after-free in the Linux bttv driver from 4.15 allows local users to crash the kernel by racing video capture with device removal. The bttv_remove path frees struct bttv without synchronously deleting btv->timeout, so bttv_irq_timeout can later read and modify the freed object. Reachability requires a supported Bt8xx PCI capture device, access to its video node, and the ability to trigger driver unbind, module unload, or hot removal; exploitation can expose or corrupt kernel memory as well as panic the host.
Summary
What happened
Use-after-free in the Linux bttv driver from 4.15 allows local users to crash the kernel by racing video capture with device removal. The bttv_remove path frees struct bttv without synchronously deleting btv->timeout, so bttv_irq_timeout can later read and modify the freed object. Reachability requires a supported Bt8xx PCI capture device, access to its video node, and the ability to trigger driver unbind, module unload, or hot removal; exploitation can expose or corrupt kernel memory as well as panic the host.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2023-52847
- Published
- May 21, 2024
- Updated
- Aug 5, 2026
- Vendor
- The Linux Kernel Organization
- Product
- Linux
- Classifications
- CWE-416, CWE-362, T1068
- Attack vector
- local
- Privileges
- authenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- May 21, 2024CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- 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.
- Affected versionversion=162e6376ac58440beb6a2d2ee294f5d88ea58dd1 <1871014d6ef4812ad11ef7d838d73ce09d632267
- Affected versionversion=162e6376ac58440beb6a2d2ee294f5d88ea58dd1 <20568d06f6069cb835e05eed432edf962645d226
- Affected versionversion=162e6376ac58440beb6a2d2ee294f5d88ea58dd1 <2f3d9198cdae1cb079ec8652f4defacd481eab2b
- Affected versionversion=162e6376ac58440beb6a2d2ee294f5d88ea58dd1 <51c94256a83fe4e17406c66ff3e1ad7d242d8574
- Affected versionversion=162e6376ac58440beb6a2d2ee294f5d88ea58dd1 <847599fffa528b2cdec4e21b6bf7586dad982132
- Affected versionversion=162e6376ac58440beb6a2d2ee294f5d88ea58dd1 <b35fdade92c5058a5e727e233fe263b828de2c9a
- Affected versionversion=162e6376ac58440beb6a2d2ee294f5d88ea58dd1 <bbc3b8dd2cb7817e703f112d988e4f4728f0f2a9
- Affected versionversion=162e6376ac58440beb6a2d2ee294f5d88ea58dd1 <bd5b50b329e850d467e7bcc07b2b6bde3752fbda
- Affected versionversion=4.15
What conditions does exploitation require?
What is affected?
Published CVSS scores
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Attacks
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Weakness, pattern, technique
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Technologies
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