CVE-2023-53435

System interruption via Cassini probe memory leak

Published Sep 18, 2025 · Updated Sep 18, 2025

Memory leak in the Linux Cassini network driver allows local users to exhaust kernel memory through failed device probes. cas_saturn_firmware_init() allocates firmware memory with vmalloc(), but cas_init_one() omits vfree() when a later probe step fails. Reachability requires the Cassini driver to initialize a Saturn device and enter that error path; repeated failures can interrupt the system by consuming kernel memory.

CVSS severity5.5
Medium
EPSS probability0.14%
Next 30 days · Sep 16, 2026
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Based on sourced intelligence
Hinoki checkNot available
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Summary

What happened

Memory leak in the Linux Cassini network driver allows local users to exhaust kernel memory through failed device probes. cas_saturn_firmware_init() allocates firmware memory with vmalloc(), but cas_init_one() omits vfree() when a later probe step fails. Reachability requires the Cassini driver to initialize a Saturn device and enter that error path; repeated failures can interrupt the system by consuming kernel memory.

The record

CVE
CVE-2023-53435
Published
Sep 18, 2025
Updated
Sep 18, 2025
Vendor
The Linux Kernel Organization
Product
Linux
Classifications
CWE-401
Attack vector
local
Privileges
authenticated

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. Sep 18, 2025CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
  2. Sep 18, 2025Record 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=2.6.28
  2. Affected versionversion=fcaa40669cd798ca2ac0d15441e8a1d1145f2b16 <11c0ed097a874156957b515d0ba7e356142eab87
  3. Affected versionversion=fcaa40669cd798ca2ac0d15441e8a1d1145f2b16 <172146c26f0c1b86ab4e9ebffc7e06f04229fa17
  4. Affected versionversion=fcaa40669cd798ca2ac0d15441e8a1d1145f2b16 <234e744d86bd95b381d24546df2dba72804e0219
  5. Affected versionversion=fcaa40669cd798ca2ac0d15441e8a1d1145f2b16 <412cd77a2c24b191c65ea53025222418db09817c
  6. Affected versionversion=fcaa40669cd798ca2ac0d15441e8a1d1145f2b16 <60d8e8b88087d68e10c8991a0f6733fa2f963ff0
  7. Affected versionversion=fcaa40669cd798ca2ac0d15441e8a1d1145f2b16 <b8b1a667744741fa7807b09a12797a27f14f3fac
  8. Affected versionversion=fcaa40669cd798ca2ac0d15441e8a1d1145f2b16 <dc61f7582cc92d547d02e141cd66f5d1f4ed8012
  9. Affected versionversion=fcaa40669cd798ca2ac0d15441e8a1d1145f2b16 <e20105d967ab5b53ff50a0e5991fe37324d2ba20

What conditions does exploitation require?

Attack vectorlocal
Required privilegesauthenticated

What is affected?

The Linux Kernel Organization · Linuxversion=2.6.28; version=fcaa40669cd798ca2ac0d15441e8a1d1145f2b16 <11c0ed097a874156957b515d0ba7e356142eab87; version=fcaa40669cd798ca2ac0d15441e8a1d1145f2b16 <172146c26f0c1b86ab4e9ebffc7e06f04229fa17; version=fcaa40669cd798ca2ac0d15441e8a1d1145f2b16 <234e744d86bd95b381d24546df2dba72804e0219; version=fcaa40669cd798ca2ac0d15441e8a1d1145f2b16 <412cd77a2c24b191c65ea53025222418db09817c; version=fcaa40669cd798ca2ac0d15441e8a1d1145f2b16 <60d8e8b88087d68e10c8991a0f6733fa2f963ff0; version=fcaa40669cd798ca2ac0d15441e8a1d1145f2b16 <b8b1a667744741fa7807b09a12797a27f14f3fac; version=fcaa40669cd798ca2ac0d15441e8a1d1145f2b16 <dc61f7582cc92d547d02e141cd66f5d1f4ed8012; version=fcaa40669cd798ca2ac0d15441e8a1d1145f2b16 <e20105d967ab5b53ff50a0e5991fe37324d2ba20

Published CVSS scores

5.5CISACVSS: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

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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

CWE-401Missing Release of Memory after Effective Lifetime

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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