Use-After-Free Vulnerability in Linux Kernel Affects Networking Operations

CVE-2023-53338

What is CVE-2023-53338?

A vulnerability in the Linux kernel's networking subsystem allows for a use-after-free condition due to improper handling of return values from BPF encapsulation operations. Produced return values like NET_RX_DROP and NETDEV_TX_BUSY, when mismanaged at the xmit hook, can lead to kernel crashes by referencing freed socket buffers. The fix introduces a method to properly manage these return values, preventing them from being interpreted incorrectly and ensuring stable kernel performance.

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