System crash via missing safety feature configuration
Published Mar 27, 2025 · Updated May 11, 2026
NULL pointer dereference in the Linux kernel stmmac driver allows local users to crash affected hosts when opening an interface. When DWMAC5 hardware advertises the automotive safety package, __stmmac_open calls dwmac5_safety_feat_config with a missing safety_feat_cfg for platforms that never defined one. Low-privileged local access, the ability to bring the interface up, and affected DWMAC5 hardware are required; the resulting kernel fault crashes the host.
Summary
What happened
NULL pointer dereference in the Linux kernel stmmac driver allows local users to crash affected hosts when opening an interface. When DWMAC5 hardware advertises the automotive safety package, __stmmac_open calls dwmac5_safety_feat_config with a missing safety_feat_cfg for platforms that never defined one. Low-privileged local access, the ability to bring the interface up, and affected DWMAC5 hardware are required; the resulting kernel fault crashes the host.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2023-53011
- Published
- Mar 27, 2025
- 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
- Mar 27, 2025CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- 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?
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- Affected versionversion=5.14
- Affected versionversion=5ac712dcdfefb1a783384db85e0507d161e87812 <120b8e527e07c65de7f2b9018dcd9d17e66f2427
- Affected versionversion=5ac712dcdfefb1a783384db85e0507d161e87812 <aebf7e62708ba706ee7bf484c9023b15c214e92a
- Affected versionversion=5ac712dcdfefb1a783384db85e0507d161e87812 <fdfc76a116b5e9d3e98e6c96fe83b42d011d21d4
What conditions does exploitation require?
What is affected?
Published CVSS scores
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Attacks
What attackers are doing with it
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Weakness, pattern, technique
Public exploit references
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Technologies
Your stack
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Your stack
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