CVE-2023-53232

Kernel panic via unallocated EEPROM buffer access

Published Sep 15, 2025 · Updated May 11, 2026

NULL pointer dereference in the MT7921 wireless driver in Linux allows local users to crash the kernel during device initialization. The firmware-response path passes an unallocated eeprom.data buffer to mt7921_mcu_parse_response, which writes through the resulting invalid pointer. Exposure requires an MT7921 device and the affected mt76 driver path; the demonstrated consequence is a kernel panic during PCI probe.

CVSS severity7.1
High
EPSS probability0.16%
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 MT7921 wireless driver in Linux allows local users to crash the kernel during device initialization. The firmware-response path passes an unallocated eeprom.data buffer to mt7921_mcu_parse_response, which writes through the resulting invalid pointer. Exposure requires an MT7921 device and the affected mt76 driver path; the demonstrated consequence is a kernel panic during PCI probe.

The record

CVE
CVE-2023-53232
Published
Sep 15, 2025
Updated
May 11, 2026
Vendor
The Linux Kernel Organization
Product
Linux
Classifications
T1499.004
Attack vector
local
Privileges
authenticated

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. Sep 15, 2025CVE 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=16d98b548365fcd6fc3fe2e1ae73c9e3cc5ee43d <11181b6c8641cd417935b76ea997d0169f2db262
  2. Affected versionversion=16d98b548365fcd6fc3fe2e1ae73c9e3cc5ee43d <12db28c3ef31f719bd18fa186a40bb152e6a527c
  3. Affected versionversion=16d98b548365fcd6fc3fe2e1ae73c9e3cc5ee43d <c8ba6780c65f681d217de79e17d63d5d538a239f
  4. Affected versionversion=16d98b548365fcd6fc3fe2e1ae73c9e3cc5ee43d <ec4d97e8eddcfa9f63f2f62adec5fb4f941ba2ef
  5. Affected versionversion=5.16

What conditions does exploitation require?

Attack vectorlocal
Required privilegesauthenticated

What is affected?

The Linux Kernel Organization · Linuxversion=16d98b548365fcd6fc3fe2e1ae73c9e3cc5ee43d <11181b6c8641cd417935b76ea997d0169f2db262; version=16d98b548365fcd6fc3fe2e1ae73c9e3cc5ee43d <12db28c3ef31f719bd18fa186a40bb152e6a527c; version=16d98b548365fcd6fc3fe2e1ae73c9e3cc5ee43d <c8ba6780c65f681d217de79e17d63d5d538a239f; version=16d98b548365fcd6fc3fe2e1ae73c9e3cc5ee43d <ec4d97e8eddcfa9f63f2f62adec5fb4f941ba2ef; version=5.16

Published CVSS scores

5.5SUSECVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
7.1Canonical UbuntuCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:H
7.1NIST NVDCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/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

T1499.004Endpoint Denial of Service: Application or System Exploitation

Public exploit references

No public exploit references are available in this record.

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Technologies

Your stack

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Your stack

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