CVE-2023-52901

Kernel panic via invalid xHCI endpoint dereference

Published Aug 21, 2024 · Updated May 11, 2026

NULL pointer dereference in the xHCI USB host driver in affected Linux kernel branches allows local users to trigger a kernel panic. The xhci_hc_died path directly indexes an endpoint and dereferences it while killing queued URBs after the host controller stops responding, without first verifying that the endpoint exists. The condition requires local low-privileged access and an unresponsive xHCI host controller; the reported consequence is a system crash.

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 xHCI USB host driver in affected Linux kernel branches allows local users to trigger a kernel panic. The xhci_hc_died path directly indexes an endpoint and dereferences it while killing queued URBs after the host controller stops responding, without first verifying that the endpoint exists. The condition requires local low-privileged access and an unresponsive xHCI host controller; the reported consequence is a system crash.

The record

CVE
CVE-2023-52901
Published
Aug 21, 2024
Updated
May 11, 2026
Vendor
The Linux Kernel Organization
Product
Linux
Classifications
CWE-476, T1499.004
Attack vector
local
Privileges
authenticated

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. Aug 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

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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=3.15
  2. Affected versionversion=50e8725e7c429701e530439013f9681e1fa36b5d <08864dc14a6803f0377ca77b9740b26db30c020f
  3. Affected versionversion=50e8725e7c429701e530439013f9681e1fa36b5d <2d2820d5f375563690c96e60676855205abfb7f5
  4. Affected versionversion=50e8725e7c429701e530439013f9681e1fa36b5d <375be2dd61a072f7b1cac9b17eea59e07b58db3a
  5. Affected versionversion=50e8725e7c429701e530439013f9681e1fa36b5d <66fc1600855c05c4ba4e997184c91cf298e0405c
  6. Affected versionversion=50e8725e7c429701e530439013f9681e1fa36b5d <9891e5c73cab3fd9ed532dc50e9799e55e974766
  7. Affected versionversion=50e8725e7c429701e530439013f9681e1fa36b5d <e8fb5bc76eb86437ab87002d4a36d6da02165654
  8. Affected versionversion=50e8725e7c429701e530439013f9681e1fa36b5d <f39c813af0b64f44af94e435c07bfa1ddc2575f5

What conditions does exploitation require?

Attack vectorlocal
Required privilegesauthenticated

What is affected?

The Linux Kernel Organization · Linuxversion=3.15; version=50e8725e7c429701e530439013f9681e1fa36b5d <08864dc14a6803f0377ca77b9740b26db30c020f; version=50e8725e7c429701e530439013f9681e1fa36b5d <2d2820d5f375563690c96e60676855205abfb7f5; version=50e8725e7c429701e530439013f9681e1fa36b5d <375be2dd61a072f7b1cac9b17eea59e07b58db3a; version=50e8725e7c429701e530439013f9681e1fa36b5d <66fc1600855c05c4ba4e997184c91cf298e0405c; version=50e8725e7c429701e530439013f9681e1fa36b5d <9891e5c73cab3fd9ed532dc50e9799e55e974766; version=50e8725e7c429701e530439013f9681e1fa36b5d <e8fb5bc76eb86437ab87002d4a36d6da02165654; version=50e8725e7c429701e530439013f9681e1fa36b5d <f39c813af0b64f44af94e435c07bfa1ddc2575f5

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 9, 2026Sep 15, 2026
Latest reporting daySep 15, 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
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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