CVE-2023-54300

Uninitialized-memory read via unchecked WMI packet length

Published Dec 30, 2025 · Updated Dec 30, 2025

Uninitialized-memory access in the Linux ath9k HTC driver allows attackers to trigger an unintended read via a short WMI packet. ath9k_wmi_ctrl_rx treats the receive buffer as containing a WMI command header without first verifying that pkt_len covers that header. Reachability requires the ath9k HTC receive path and a malformed buffer; published sources do not establish attacker control or an impact beyond the unintended memory reference.

CVSS severity7.0
High
EPSS probability0.23%
Next 30 days · Sep 16, 2026
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Based on sourced intelligence
Hinoki checkNot available
Coverage for this vulnerability

See if you're affected

Explore vulnerability checks for your environment with Hinoki.

Book a demo

Summary

What happened

Uninitialized-memory access in the Linux ath9k HTC driver allows attackers to trigger an unintended read via a short WMI packet. ath9k_wmi_ctrl_rx treats the receive buffer as containing a WMI command header without first verifying that pkt_len covers that header. Reachability requires the ath9k HTC receive path and a malformed buffer; published sources do not establish attacker control or an impact beyond the unintended memory reference.

The record

CVE
CVE-2023-54300
Published
Dec 30, 2025
Updated
Dec 30, 2025
Vendor
The Linux Kernel Organization
Product
Linux
Classifications
Unavailable
Attack vector
local
Privileges
authenticated

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. Dec 30, 2025CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
  2. Dec 30, 2025Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.

Exploitability

Present is not the same as exploitable

Compare your product and version with the public record. A matching version still requires validation against your environment.

Is a vulnerable build present?

Compare these published version ranges with your installed build and any vendor patches.

  1. Affected versionversion=2.6.35
  2. Affected versionversion=fb9987d0f748c983bb795a86f47522313f701a08 <0bc12e41af4e3ae1f0efecc377f0514459df0707
  3. Affected versionversion=fb9987d0f748c983bb795a86f47522313f701a08 <250efb4d3f5b32a115ea6bf25437ba44a1b3c04f
  4. Affected versionversion=fb9987d0f748c983bb795a86f47522313f701a08 <28259ce4f1f1f9ab37fa817756c89098213d2fc0
  5. Affected versionversion=fb9987d0f748c983bb795a86f47522313f701a08 <75acec91aeaa07375cd5f418069e61b16d39bbad
  6. Affected versionversion=fb9987d0f748c983bb795a86f47522313f701a08 <8ed572e52714593b209e3aa352406aff84481179
  7. Affected versionversion=fb9987d0f748c983bb795a86f47522313f701a08 <90e3c10177573b8662ac9858abd9bf731d5d98e0
  8. Affected versionversion=fb9987d0f748c983bb795a86f47522313f701a08 <ad5425e70789c29b93acafb5bb4629e4eb908296
  9. Affected versionversion=fb9987d0f748c983bb795a86f47522313f701a08 <d1c2ff2bd84c3692c9df267a2b991ce92bfca8ef
  10. Affected versionversion=fb9987d0f748c983bb795a86f47522313f701a08 <f24292e827088bba8de7158501ac25a59b064953

What conditions does exploitation require?

Attack vectorlocal
Required privilegesauthenticated

What is affected?

The Linux Kernel Organization · Linuxversion=2.6.35; version=fb9987d0f748c983bb795a86f47522313f701a08 <0bc12e41af4e3ae1f0efecc377f0514459df0707; version=fb9987d0f748c983bb795a86f47522313f701a08 <250efb4d3f5b32a115ea6bf25437ba44a1b3c04f; version=fb9987d0f748c983bb795a86f47522313f701a08 <28259ce4f1f1f9ab37fa817756c89098213d2fc0; version=fb9987d0f748c983bb795a86f47522313f701a08 <75acec91aeaa07375cd5f418069e61b16d39bbad; version=fb9987d0f748c983bb795a86f47522313f701a08 <8ed572e52714593b209e3aa352406aff84481179; version=fb9987d0f748c983bb795a86f47522313f701a08 <90e3c10177573b8662ac9858abd9bf731d5d98e0; version=fb9987d0f748c983bb795a86f47522313f701a08 <ad5425e70789c29b93acafb5bb4629e4eb908296; version=fb9987d0f748c983bb795a86f47522313f701a08 <d1c2ff2bd84c3692c9df267a2b991ce92bfca8ef; version=fb9987d0f748c983bb795a86f47522313f701a08 <f24292e827088bba8de7158501ac25a59b064953

Published CVSS scores

7.0Amazon LinuxCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/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.

Daily unique IPsNo honeypot observations are available for this CVE in the selected window.

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

No sourced classifications are available.

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

See the directory against your own environment.

Your stack

Check the software in your environment

Book a demo to see how Hinoki identifies affected software and validates exploitability in your environment.

Book a demo