CVE-2023-53610

5.5 MEDIUM
Denial of Service

📋 TL;DR

This CVE describes a refcount leak vulnerability in the Linux kernel's irqchip subsystem. The vulnerability occurs when the platform_irqchip_probe function fails to properly release a reference to a device tree node, potentially leading to kernel memory exhaustion. This affects all Linux systems using the affected kernel versions.

💻 Affected Systems

Products:
  • Linux kernel
Versions: Specific affected versions not explicitly stated in CVE description; check kernel commit history for exact ranges
Operating Systems: Linux distributions using affected kernel versions
Default Config Vulnerable: ⚠️ Yes
Notes: Vulnerability exists in the irqchip subsystem; systems using platform interrupt controllers are affected.

⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact

🔴

Worst Case

Kernel memory exhaustion leading to system instability, denial of service, or potential kernel crash.

🟠

Likely Case

Gradual memory leak that could cause system performance degradation or instability over time.

🟢

If Mitigated

Minimal impact with proper memory management and monitoring in place.

🌐 Internet-Facing: LOW - This is a local kernel vulnerability requiring local access.
🏢 Internal Only: MEDIUM - Could be exploited by local users or processes to cause system instability.

🎯 Exploit Status

Public PoC: ✅ No
Weaponized: UNKNOWN
Unauthenticated Exploit: ✅ No
Complexity: HIGH - Requires local access and specific conditions to trigger the refcount leak

Exploitation requires triggering the platform_irqchip_probe function repeatedly to cause memory exhaustion.

🛠️ Fix & Mitigation

✅ Official Fix

Patch Version: Kernel versions containing the fix commits listed in references

Vendor Advisory: https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/4401b485855700f296cae4d0db36a52948bff4fa

Restart Required: Yes

Instructions:

1. Update Linux kernel to patched version. 2. Check distribution-specific security advisories. 3. Reboot system after kernel update.

🔧 Temporary Workarounds

Memory monitoring and limits

linux

Implement kernel memory monitoring and set limits to detect/prevent memory exhaustion

echo 'kernel.panic_on_oom = 1' >> /etc/sysctl.conf
sysctl -p

🧯 If You Can't Patch

  • Implement strict access controls to limit local user privileges
  • Monitor system memory usage and kernel logs for signs of memory leaks

🔍 How to Verify

Check if Vulnerable:

Check kernel version and compare with patched versions in git commits: uname -r

Check Version:

uname -r

Verify Fix Applied:

Verify kernel version is updated to include the fix commits, check /proc/meminfo for abnormal memory usage

📡 Detection & Monitoring

Log Indicators:

  • Kernel oom-killer messages
  • Memory allocation failures in dmesg
  • Increasing kernel memory usage over time

Network Indicators:

  • None - local vulnerability only

SIEM Query:

source="kernel" AND ("oom" OR "out of memory" OR "memory allocation failure")

📊 Metadata

CVE ID: CVE-2023-53610
CVSS v3 Score: 5.5 (MEDIUM)
CVSS Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
Published: October 4, 2025
Last Updated: February 5, 2026

🤖 AI-assisted analysis, reviewed for accuracy

🔗 References

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