high CVSS 7.8 EPSS <0.1%

CVE-2023-52530·Kernel vulnerability

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: wifi: mac80211: fix potential key use-after-free When ieee80211_key_link() is called by ieee80211_gtk_rekey_add() but returns 0 due to KRACK protection (identical key reinstall), ieee80211_gtk_rekey_add() will still return a pointer into the key, in a potential use-after-free. This normally doesn't happen since it's only called by iwlwifi in case of WoWLAN rekey offload which has its own KRACK protection, but still better to fix, do that by returning an error code and converting that to success on the cfg80211 boundary only, leaving the error for bad callers of ieee80211_gtk_rekey_add().

Severity
high
Software
Kernel
Fixed in
6.5.7
Published

How likely is exploitation

FIRST's Exploit Prediction Scoring System puts the probability of this CVE being exploited in the next 30 days at <0.1% — higher than 2% of all published CVEs. EPSS is an independent forecast of exploitation, not a severity rating: it says nothing about how much damage a successful attack does, which is what a CVSS score measures.

Read the two together. CVE-2023-52530 scores 7.8 on CVSS, so a successful attack would be serious — but at <0.1%, almost nobody is currently attempting it. That is a different situation from a flaw under mass exploitation, and it is usually the difference between patching on your next maintenance window and patching tonight.

Affected versions

From: 6.2

Until: 6.5.7

Fixed in: 6.5.7

How to fix this CVE

Update your Linux kernel to version 6.5.7 or later to resolve a use-after-free vulnerability in the mac80211 wireless subsystem that could occur during GTK rekey operations. This fix ensures proper error handling when identical key reinstalls are detected, preventing potential memory safety issues. Apply the update immediately across all affected systems running kernel versions 6.2 through 6.5.6.

sudo dnf update kernel kernel-devel

Defensia detects this vulnerability

How to check if you are affected

  1. Step 1: Check your current kernel version with 'uname -r' and verify if it falls within the vulnerable range (6.2.x to 6.5.6)
  2. Step 2: Examine mac80211 module configuration using 'lsmod | grep mac80211' to confirm wireless subsystem is loaded
  3. Step 3: Search kernel logs for GTK rekey errors using 'sudo journalctl -S -24h | grep -i gtk' or 'sudo dmesg | grep -i gtk'
  4. Step 4: After patching, reboot the system with 'sudo reboot' and verify the new kernel version with 'uname -r' is 6.5.7 or later

FAQ

What is CVE-2023-52530?

This vulnerability is a use-after-free flaw in the Linux kernel's mac80211 wireless driver that occurs when GTK (Group Temporal Key) rekey operations fail to properly handle identical key reinstall scenarios, potentially leading to memory corruption.

Is CVE-2023-52530 being actively exploited?

No, CVE-2023-52530 is not currently listed in CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog and no public exploits are available. However, the vulnerability does pose a local privilege escalation risk and should still be patched.

What versions of Kernel are affected by CVE-2023-52530?

Linux kernel versions 6.2 through 6.5.6 are vulnerable. The vulnerability was fixed in kernel 6.5.7 and later versions.

How do I check if my server is vulnerable to CVE-2023-52530?

Run 'uname -r' and check if the output shows a version between 6.2.0 and 6.5.6. If your kernel version is within this range, your system requires the security update.

Does Defensia detect CVE-2023-52530?

Yes — Defensia's CVE advisory scanner compares installed package versions against the NVD database. If Kernel is installed on a monitored server, CVE-2023-52530 will appear in your dashboard with remediation steps.

Related Kernel CVEs

CVE-2026-63795CVSS 10In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: 9p: avoid putting oldfid in p9_client_walk() error path When p9_client_walk() is called with clone set to false, fid aliases oldfid. If the walk subsequently fails after the request has been sent, the error path jumps to clunk_fid, which currently calls p9_fid_put(fid) unconditionally. This drops a reference to oldfid even though ownership of oldfid remains with the caller. If this is the last reference, oldfid can be clunked and destroyed while the caller still expects it to be valid. A later use or put of oldfid can then trigger a use-after-free or refcount underflow. Fix this by only putting fid in the clunk_fid error path when it does not alias oldfid, matching the existing guard in the error path below. This can be triggered when a multi-component walk is split into multiple p9_client_walk() calls and a later non-cloning walk fails. A reproducer and refcount warning logs are available on request.
CVE-2026-53221CVSS 9.8In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: ip6_vti: fix incorrect tunnel matching in vti6_tnl_lookup() In vti6_tnl_lookup(), when an exact match for a tunnel fails, the code falls back to searching for wildcard tunnels: - Tunnels matching the packet's local address, with any remote address wildcard remote). - Tunnels matching the packet's remote address, with any local address (wildcard local). However, vti6 stores all these different types of tunnels in the same hash table (ip6n->tnls_r_l) prone to hash collisions. The bug is that the fallback search loops in vti6_tnl_lookup() were missing checks to ensure that the candidate tunnel actually has a wildcard address.
CVE-2026-53151CVSS 9.8In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: rxrpc: Fix the ACK parser to extract the SACK table for parsing Fix modification of the received skbuff in rxrpc_input_soft_acks() and a potential incorrect access of the buffer in a fragmented UDP packet (the packet would probably have to be deliberately pre-generated as fragmented) when AF_RXRPC tries to extract the contents of the SACK table by copying out the contents of the SACK table into a buffer before attempting to parse AF_RXRPC assumes that it can just call skb_condense() and then validly access the SACK table from skb->data and that it will be a flat buffer - but skb_condense() can silently fail to do anything under some circumstances. Note that whilst rxrpc_input_soft_acks() should be able to parse extended ACKs, the rest of AF_RXRPC doesn't currently support that. Further, there's then no need to call skb_condense() in rxrpc_input_ack(), so don't.
CVE-2026-53088CVSS 9.8In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: net: bcmgenet: fix off-by-one in bcmgenet_put_txcb The write_ptr points to the next open tx_cb. We want to return the tx_cb that gets rewinded, so we must rewind the pointer first then return the tx_cb that it points to. That way the txcb can be correctly cleaned up.
CVE-2026-53228CVSS 9.8In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: ipv6: sit: reload inner IPv6 header after GSO offloads ipip6_tunnel_xmit() caches the inner IPv6 header pointer at function entry and continues using it after iptunnel_handle_offloads(). For GSO skbs, iptunnel_handle_offloads() calls skb_header_unclone(). When the skb header is cloned, skb_header_unclone() can call pskb_expand_head(), which may move the skb head. The pskb_expand_head() contract requires pointers into the skb header to be reloaded after the call. If the later skb_realloc_headroom() branch is not taken, SIT uses the stale iph6 pointer to read the inner hop limit and DS field. That can read from a freed skb head after the old head's remaining clone is released. Reload iph6 after the offload helper succeeds and before subsequent reads from the inner IPv6 header. Keep the existing reload after skb_realloc_headroom(), since that branch can also replace the skb.

References

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