CVE-2023-53670

Service interruption via NVMe QoS memory leak

Published Oct 7, 2025 · Updated Oct 7, 2025

A memory leak in Linux kernel 6.0 through 6.1.38, 6.2 through 6.3.12, and 6.4 through 6.4.3 allows local users to interrupt service. The nvme_init_ctrl error-unwind path allocates a device power-management QoS latency-tolerance request but fails to hide and release it when controller initialization fails. Repeated initialization failures leave 96-byte allocations behind, enabling kernel-memory exhaustion without a reported data-read or data-write capability.

CVSS severity5.5
Medium
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

A memory leak in Linux kernel 6.0 through 6.1.38, 6.2 through 6.3.12, and 6.4 through 6.4.3 allows local users to interrupt service. The nvme_init_ctrl error-unwind path allocates a device power-management QoS latency-tolerance request but fails to hide and release it when controller initialization fails. Repeated initialization failures leave 96-byte allocations behind, enabling kernel-memory exhaustion without a reported data-read or data-write capability.

The record

CVE
CVE-2023-53670
Published
Oct 7, 2025
Updated
Oct 7, 2025
Vendor
The Linux Kernel Organization
Product
Linux
Classifications
CWE-401, T1499
Attack vector
local
Privileges
authenticated

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. Oct 7, 2025CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
  2. Oct 7, 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=6.0
  2. Affected versionversion=f50fff73d620cd6e8f48bc58d4f1c944615a3fea <2ed9a89192e3192e5fea7ff6475c8722513f325e
  3. Affected versionversion=f50fff73d620cd6e8f48bc58d4f1c944615a3fea <7237c26431cc78e5ec3259f4350f3dd58f6a4319
  4. Affected versionversion=f50fff73d620cd6e8f48bc58d4f1c944615a3fea <7ed5cf8e6d9bfb6a78d0471317edff14f0f2b4dd
  5. Affected versionversion=f50fff73d620cd6e8f48bc58d4f1c944615a3fea <e1379e067b9485e5af03399fe3f0d39bccb023ad

What conditions does exploitation require?

Attack vectorlocal
Required privilegesauthenticated

What is affected?

The Linux Kernel Organization · Linuxversion=6.0; version=f50fff73d620cd6e8f48bc58d4f1c944615a3fea <2ed9a89192e3192e5fea7ff6475c8722513f325e; version=f50fff73d620cd6e8f48bc58d4f1c944615a3fea <7237c26431cc78e5ec3259f4350f3dd58f6a4319; version=f50fff73d620cd6e8f48bc58d4f1c944615a3fea <7ed5cf8e6d9bfb6a78d0471317edff14f0f2b4dd; version=f50fff73d620cd6e8f48bc58d4f1c944615a3fea <e1379e067b9485e5af03399fe3f0d39bccb023ad

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-401Missing Release of Memory after Effective Lifetime
T1499Endpoint Denial of Service

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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