Remote system crash via UDP-Lite memory accounting
Published Dec 24, 2025 · Updated Dec 24, 2025
NULL pointer dereference in the Linux kernel 4.10 through 6.3.4 allows remote attackers to crash hosts via UDP-Lite datagrams. The UDP-Lite protocol tables leave sysctl_wmem_offset unset, so __sk_mem_raise_allocated passes a NULL sysctl_rmem pointer to sk_get_rmem0 after shared UDP memory crosses its threshold. A bound UDP-Lite socket and enough inbound traffic to raise the shared allocation counter are required; the resulting softirq fault interrupts the system.
Summary
What happened
NULL pointer dereference in the Linux kernel 4.10 through 6.3.4 allows remote attackers to crash hosts via UDP-Lite datagrams. The UDP-Lite protocol tables leave sysctl_wmem_offset unset, so __sk_mem_raise_allocated passes a NULL sysctl_rmem pointer to sk_get_rmem0 after shared UDP memory crosses its threshold. A bound UDP-Lite socket and enough inbound traffic to raise the shared allocation counter are required; the resulting softirq fault interrupts the system.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2023-54004
- Published
- Dec 24, 2025
- Updated
- Dec 24, 2025
- Vendor
- The Linux Kernel Organization
- Product
- Linux
- Classifications
- T1499.004
- Attack vector
- network
- Privileges
- unauthenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Dec 24, 2025CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- Dec 24, 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?
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- Affected versionversion=4.10
- Affected versionversion=850cbaddb52dfd4e0c7cabe2c168dd34b44ae0b9 <2a112f04629f7839e7cb509b27b8d3b735afe255
- Affected versionversion=850cbaddb52dfd4e0c7cabe2c168dd34b44ae0b9 <387bd0a3af3bdd2b16f8dbef0c9fcccac63000a4
- Affected versionversion=850cbaddb52dfd4e0c7cabe2c168dd34b44ae0b9 <5014b64e369bdf997935b132a1ac4d64b6e47ad4
- Affected versionversion=850cbaddb52dfd4e0c7cabe2c168dd34b44ae0b9 <7e3ae83371a4809da6fa3f10ccc430eecef3034a
- Affected versionversion=850cbaddb52dfd4e0c7cabe2c168dd34b44ae0b9 <ad42a35bdfc6d3c0fc4cb4027d7b2757ce665665
- Affected versionversion=850cbaddb52dfd4e0c7cabe2c168dd34b44ae0b9 <cc56de054d828935aa37734b479f82fa34b5f9bd
- Affected versionversion=850cbaddb52dfd4e0c7cabe2c168dd34b44ae0b9 <f04c8eaf45e7dcdfccba936506b1ec592a369fb9
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What is affected?
Published CVSS scores
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Attacks
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Weakness, pattern, technique
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Technologies
Your stack
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Your stack
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