Linux Kernel Vulnerability in ALSA HDA - Codec Access Issue

CVE-2023-53275

What is CVE-2023-53275?

A potential null-pointer dereference vulnerability has been identified in the Linux kernel's ALSA HDA subsystem due to a data race condition. This issue arises when the variable codec->regmap is accessed without proper locking mechanism, particularly in the function snd_hdac_regmap_sync(). If codec->regmap is modified immediately after the check and set to NULL, it may lead to a dereference error in subsequent function calls, notably in regcache_sync(). To address this vulnerability, the mutex lock coverage has been extended around both the condition check and the function call, ensuring more robust protection against this race condition and enhancing the overall code consistency.

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