CVE-2023-52596

sysctl: Fix out of bounds access for empty sysctl registers

MEDIUM
5.5
CVSS Score
Published: March 6, 2024 at 06:45 AM UTC
Updated: June 17, 2026 at 06:43 AM UTC
1 product affected across 1 vendorLinux Kernel

Using Linux by Linux?

Get instant alerts when new vulnerabilities affect Linux - before attackers find them.

Real-time alertsTrack your software stackFree plan available
Severity
MEDIUM5.5
Exploit prediction
EPSS 0.2%
SSVC
No known exploit

Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: sysctl: Fix out of bounds access for empty sysctl registers When registering tables to the sysctl subsystem there is a check to see if header is a permanently empty directory (used for mounts). This check evaluates the first element of the ctl_table. This results in an out of bounds evaluation when registering empty directories. The function register_sysctl_mount_point now passes a ctl_table of size 1 instead of size 0. It now relies solely on the type to identify a permanently empty register. Make sure that the ctl_table has at least one element before testing for permanent emptiness.

Affected

Our own answer: ranges merged, affected separated from platform-only, with confidence and review flags.

v < 6.6.166.6 ≤ v < 6.6.166.6 ≤ v < 6.7.46.6 ≤ v < 6.86.7 ≤ v < 6.7.46.69edbfe92a0a1355bae1e47c8f542ac0d39f19f8c
Vendor states this is fixed in 15893975e9e382f8294ea8d926f08dc2d8d39ede (fixed)
Vendor states this is fixed in 2ae7081bc10123b187e36a4f3a8e53768de31489 (fixed)
Vendor states this is fixed in 315552310c7de92baea4e570967066569937a843 (fixed)
Vendor states this is fixed in 6.6 (unaffected)
Vendor states this is fixed in 6.6.16 (unaffected)
Vendor states this is fixed in 6.7.4 (unaffected)
Vendor states this is fixed in 6.8 (unaffected)

References (3)

Mailing ListPatch
Source: 416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/15893975e9e382f8294ea8d926f08dc2d8d39ede
Mailing ListPatch
Source: 416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/2ae7081bc10123b187e36a4f3a8e53768de31489
Mailing ListPatch
Source: 416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/315552310c7de92baea4e570967066569937a843

SSVC — Action Prioritization

SSVCNo known exploitNot automatablePartial impact

SSVC signals action urgency (what to patch first), separate from CVSS which measures severity.

CVSS

Attack Vector
LOCAL
Complexity
LOW
Privileges
LOW
User Interaction
NONE
Scope
UNCHANGED
Confidentiality
NONE
Integrity
NONE
Availability
HIGH
Vector?

Quick Info

StatusANALYZED
CWE
CWE-787

Get alerted

Stop reading CVE feeds looking for your own stack

Track the products you run and VulnTracker tells you when a new CVE affects them — with what is known about fixing it, and nothing about the rest.

Free plan, no card