Out-of-bounds read via USB descriptor race
Published Jul 16, 2024 · Updated May 23, 2026
Out-of-bounds read in the Linux kernel USB core allows physically proximate attackers to access kernel memory through a USB device. The read_descriptors() routine assumes udev->descriptor remains immutable while hub_port_init() can overwrite it concurrently after device registration. Exploitation requires physical USB access and winning that race; the demonstrated consequence is an eight-byte out-of-bounds kernel read.
Summary
What happened
Out-of-bounds read in the Linux kernel USB core allows physically proximate attackers to access kernel memory through a USB device. The read_descriptors() routine assumes udev->descriptor remains immutable while hub_port_init() can overwrite it concurrently after device registration. Exploitation requires physical USB access and winning that race; the demonstrated consequence is an eight-byte out-of-bounds kernel read.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2023-52886
- Published
- Jul 16, 2024
- Updated
- May 23, 2026
- Vendor
- The Linux Kernel Organization
- Product
- Linux
- Classifications
- CWE-125
- Attack vector
- physical
- Privileges
- unauthenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Jul 16, 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=1bcb238c54a9c6dc4bded06b06ba7458a5eefa87
- Affected versionversion=218925bfd5d1436e337c4f961e9c149fbe32de6d <9d241c5d9a9b7ad95c90c6520272fe404d5ac88f
- Affected versionversion=4.14.308 <4.15
- Affected versionversion=4.19.275 <4.20
- Affected versionversion=45bf39f8df7f05efb83b302c65ae3b9bc92b7065 <b4a074b1fb222164ed7d5c0b8c922dc4a0840848
- Affected versionversion=45bf39f8df7f05efb83b302c65ae3b9bc92b7065 <b9fbfb349eacc0820f91c797d7f0a3ac7a4935b5
- Affected versionversion=45bf39f8df7f05efb83b302c65ae3b9bc92b7065 <ff33299ec8bb80cdcc073ad9c506bd79bb2ed20b
- Affected versionversion=5.10.171 <5.10.195
- Affected versionversion=5.15.97 <5.15.132
- Affected versionversion=5.4.234 <5.5
- Affected versionversion=5f35b5d3bd6914c68f743741443dfd3a64b0e455
- Affected versionversion=6.1.15 <6.1.53
- Affected versionversion=6.2.2 <6.3
- Affected versionversion=6.3
- Affected versionversion=6badaf880edf51a2da7a439699676394dfdef3e5
- Affected versionversion=77358093331e9769855140bf94a3f00ecdcf4bb1 <7fe9d87996062f5eb0ca476ad0257f79bf43aaf5
- Affected versionversion=a1e89c8b29d003a20ed2dae6bdae1598d1f23e42
- Affected versionversion=c87fb861ec185fdc578b4fdc6a05920b6a843840 <8186596a663506b1124bede9fde6f243ef9f37ee
What conditions does exploitation require?
What is affected?
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.
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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