Linux Kernel: Use of Uninitialized Memory (CVE-2023-52528)
Published Sources: Red Hat, BSI, CVE.org, EUVD
What is affected, what to do
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: net: usb: smsc75xx: Fix uninit-value access in __smsc75xx_read_reg syzbot reported the following uninit-value access issue: ===================================================== BUG: KMSAN: uninit-value in smsc75xx_wait_ready drivers/net/usb/smsc75xx.c:975 [inline] BUG: KMSAN: uninit-value in smsc75xx_bind+0x5c9/0x11e0 drivers/net/usb/smsc75xx.c:1482 CPU: 0 PID: 8696 Comm: kworker/0:3 Not tainted 5.8.0-rc5-syzkaller #0 Hardware name: Google Google Compute Engine/Google Compute Engine, BIOS Google 01/01/2011 Workqueue: usb_hub_wq hub_event Call Trace: __dump_stack lib/dump_stack.c:77 [inline] dump_stack+0x21c/0x280 lib/dump_stack.c:118 kmsan_report+0xf7/0x1e0 mm/kmsan/kmsan_report.c:121 __msan_warning+0x58/0xa0 mm/kmsan/kmsan_instr.c:215 smsc75xx_wait_ready drivers/net/usb/smsc75xx.c:975 [inline] smsc75xx_bind+0x5c9/0x11e0 drivers/net/usb/smsc75xx.c:1482 usbnet_probe+0x1152/0x3f90 drivers/net/usb/usbnet.c:1737 usb_probe_interface+0xece/0x1550 drivers/usb/core/driver.c:374 really_probe+0xf20/0x20b0 drivers/base/dd.c:529 driver_probe_device+0x293/0x390 drivers/base/dd.c:701 __device_attach_driver+0x63f/0x830 drivers/base/dd.c:807 bus_for_each_drv+0x2ca/0x3f0 drivers/base/bus.c:431 __device_attach+0x4e2/0x7f0 drivers/base/dd.c:873 device_initial_probe+0x4a/0x60 drivers/base/dd.c:920 bus_probe_device+0x177/0x3d0 drivers/base/bus.c:491 device_add+0x3b0e/0x40d0 drivers/base/core.c:2680 usb_set_configuration+0x380f/0x3f10 drivers/usb/core/message.c:2032 usb_generic_driver_probe+0x138/0x300 drivers/usb/core/generic.c:241 usb_probe_device+0x311/0x490 drivers/usb/core/driver.c:272 really_probe+0xf20/0x20b0 drivers/base/dd.c:529 driver_probe_device+0x293/0x390 drivers/base/dd.c:701 __device_attach_driver+0x63f/0x830 drivers/base/dd.c:807 bus_for_each_drv+0x2ca/0x3f0 drivers/base/bus.c:431 __device_attach+0x4e2/0x7f0 drivers/base/dd.c:873 device_initial_probe+0x4a/0x60 drivers/base/dd.c:920 bus_probe_device+0x177/0x3d0 drivers/base/bus.c:491 device_add+0x3b0e/0x40d0 drivers/base/core.c:2680 usb_new_device+0x1bd4/0x2a30 drivers/usb/core/hub.c:2554 hub_port_connect drivers/usb/core/hub.c:5208 [inline] hub_port_connect_change drivers/usb/core/hub.c:5348 [inline] port_event drivers/usb/core/hub.c:5494 [inline] hub_event+0x5e7b/0x8a70 drivers/usb/core/hub.c:5576 process_one_work+0x1688/0x2140 kernel/workqueue.c:2269 worker_thread+0x10bc/0x2730 kernel/workqueue.c:2415 kthread+0x551/0x590 kernel/kthread.c:292 ret_from_fork+0x1f/0x30 arch/x86/entry/entry_64.S:293 Local variable ----buf.i87@smsc75xx_bind created at: __smsc75xx_read_reg drivers/net/usb/smsc75xx.c:83 [inline] smsc75xx_wait_ready drivers/net/usb/smsc75xx.c:968 [inline] smsc75xx_bind+0x485/0x11e0 drivers/net/usb/smsc75xx.c:1482 __smsc75xx_read_reg drivers/net/usb/smsc75xx.c:83 [inline] smsc75xx_wait_ready drivers/net/usb/smsc75xx.c:968 [inline] smsc75xx_bind+0x485/0x11e0 drivers/net/usb/smsc75xx.c:1482 This issue is caused because usbnet_read_cmd() reads less bytes than requested (zero byte in the reproducer). In this case, 'buf' is not properly filled.
Update Linux Kernel to version 4.14.327, Linux Kernel to version 4.19.296, Linux Kernel to version 5.4.258.
- Affected
- Linux Kernel
lt 2.6.34..4.14.327 - Linux Kernel
lt 4.15..4.19.296 - Linux Kernel
lt 4.20..5.4.258 - Linux Kernel
lt 5.5..5.10.198 - Linux Kernel
lt 5.11..5.15.135 - Linux Kernel
lt 5.16..6.1.57 - Linux Kernel
lt 6.2..6.5.7
- Linux Kernel
- Fixed in
- Linux Kernel
4.14.327 - Linux Kernel
4.19.296 - Linux Kernel
5.4.258 - Linux Kernel
5.10.198 - Linux Kernel
5.15.135 - Linux Kernel
6.1.57 - Linux Kernel
6.5.7 - Linux Kernel
6.6
- Linux Kernel
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Metrics
5.5
XIEM Effective CVSS
Highest available CVSS rating from NVD and vendor data.
Source: NVD, CVSS v3
5.5
CVSS v3
Severity Medium on the scale from 0 to 10.
Source: Red Hat, BSI, CVE.org, EUVD
0.2 %
EPSS score
Low — model estimates < 1% exploitation likelihood.
Source: FIRST EPSS, percentile 15.4
Show all metrics
- Severity
- Medium
Priority (0–325)
The priority score is a consolidated metric that condenses several individual signals into a single, action-guiding ranking: technical severity (CVSS), exploitation likelihood (EPSS), known-exploited status (KEV) and the context of the affected asset. The aim is to answer the only truly important question in vulnerability management: what first?
Read in glossary- 33.88 Methodology
Exploit maturity
An exploit is code or a technique that specifically uses a concrete vulnerability to force unintended behaviour — such as executing code or escalating privileges. It is the tool that turns a theoretical flaw into a practical attack.
Read in glossary- no public PoC known
XIEM Effective CVSS
XIEM® is the tiered managed-security operating model from NEOSEC and a registered trademark of NEOSEC GmbH. It extends classic SIEM — the central collection, normalisation and correlation of security-relevant events — with endpoint forensics, network visibility and deception technology, and consolidates them into three building tiers: Sentry, Orchestrate and Command.
Read in glossary- 5.5 Methodology
CVSS v3
CVSS is the globally established, open standard for assessing the technical severity of a vulnerability on a scale from 0 to 10. It describes how easily a flaw can be exploited and what damage it can cause — but not how likely its actual exploitation is. CVSS and the complementary EPSS deliberately answer different questions.
Read in glossary- 5.5
EPSS score
The EPSS score is the absolute model output for an individual vulnerability: the estimated probability of real-world exploitation within the next 30 days, expressed as a value between 0 and 1 (i.e. 0 % to 100 %). A score of 0.42 means „the model estimates a 42 % chance of real-world exploitation within 30 days“.
Read in glossary- 0.2 %
- Low — model estimates < 1% exploitation likelihood.
EPSS percentile
The EPSS percentile is the relative position of a vulnerability within all EPSS-scored CVEs, expressed as a value between 0 and 1. A percentile of 0.90 means „this CVE has a higher EPSS score than 90 % of all other scored CVEs“. Unlike the EPSS score, it is not a probability — but a positioning within a ranking.
Read in glossary- 15.4
- Elevated — this CVE ranks above at least 10% of all CVEs scored today.
KEV status
The KEV catalogue is a list maintained by the US authority CISA of vulnerabilities for which active exploitation in the wild has been confirmed. It answers not the question „how severe?“ but „is it already being attacked?“ — thereby sharply prioritising patching.
Read in glossary- —
- Published
- CISA assessment (SSVC)
- Exploitation: none known · not automatable · Technical impact: partial
- Source: CISA Vulnrichment, as of 10 September 2024
Detection rules
No NEOSEC detection rule is available for this vulnerability yet.
Classification under NIS2 and CRA
Rule-based classification from exploitation status and severity. It does not replace a case-by-case assessment.
NIS2
NIS2 is EU Directive (EU) 2022/2555 to raise the level of cybersecurity across the Union. It substantially broadens obligations compared with the first NIS directive: more sectors, mandatory risk management, staged reporting duties and personal accountability of senior management.
Read in glossary- Handle the vulnerability in regular vulnerability handling under Art. 21(2)(e) NIS2.
CRA
The CRA is EU Regulation (EU) 2024/2847 setting horizontal cybersecurity requirements for „products with digital elements“ — from industrial controllers and software to connected consumer devices. For the first time manufacturers must ensure security across the entire product lifecycle, handle vulnerabilities and provide security updates.
Read in glossary- From 11.12.2027, Annex I Part II CRA requires manufacturers of affected products with digital elements to handle vulnerabilities without delay and provide security updates.
ISO/IEC 27001
ISO/IEC 27001 is the internationally leading standard for an information security management system (ISMS). It describes a risk-based, process-oriented framework to systematically plan, implement, review and improve information security.
Read in glossary- Control A.8.8, management of technical vulnerabilities: assess relevance to your systems, plan remediation and keep evidence.
Description
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: net: usb: smsc75xx: Fix uninit-value access in __smsc75xx_read_reg syzbot reported the following uninit-value access issue: ===================================================== BUG: KMSAN: uninit-value in smsc75xx_wait_ready drivers/net/usb/smsc75xx.c:975 [inline] BUG: KMSAN: uninit-value in smsc75xx_bind+0x5c9/0x11e0 drivers/net/usb/smsc75xx.c:1482 CPU: 0 PID: 8696 Comm: kworker/0:3 Not tainted 5.8.0-rc5-syzkaller #0 Hardware name: Google Google Compute Engine/Google Compute Engine, BIOS Google 01/01/2011 Workqueue: usb_hub_wq hub_event Call Trace: __dump_stack lib/dump_stack.c:77 [inline] dump_stack+0x21c/0x280 lib/dump_stack.c:118 kmsan_report+0xf7/0x1e0 mm/kmsan/kmsan_report.c:121 __msan_warning+0x58/0xa0 mm/kmsan/kmsan_instr.c:215 smsc75xx_wait_ready drivers/net/usb/smsc75xx.c:975 [inline] smsc75xx_bind+0x5c9/0x11e0 drivers/net/usb/smsc75xx.c:1482 usbnet_probe+0x1152/0x3f90 drivers/net/usb/usbnet.c:1737 usb_probe_interface+0xece/0x1550 drivers/usb/core/driver.c:374 really_probe+0xf20/0x20b0 drivers/base/dd.c:529 driver_probe_device+0x293/0x390 drivers/base/dd.c:701 __device_attach_driver+0x63f/0x830 drivers/base/dd.c:807 bus_for_each_drv+0x2ca/0x3f0 drivers/base/bus.c:431 __device_attach+0x4e2/0x7f0 drivers/base/dd.c:873 device_initial_probe+0x4a/0x60 drivers/base/dd.c:920 bus_probe_device+0x177/0x3d0 drivers/base/bus.c:491 device_add+0x3b0e/0x40d0 drivers/base/core.c:2680 usb_set_configuration+0x380f/0x3f10 drivers/usb/core/message.c:2032 usb_generic_driver_probe+0x138/0x300 drivers/usb/core/generic.c:241 usb_probe_device+0x311/0x490 drivers/usb/core/driver.c:272 really_probe+0xf20/0x20b0 drivers/base/dd.c:529 driver_probe_device+0x293/0x390 drivers/base/dd.c:701 __device_attach_driver+0x63f/0x830 drivers/base/dd.c:807 bus_for_each_drv+0x2ca/0x3f0 drivers/base/bus.c:431 __device_attach+0x4e2/0x7f0 drivers/base/dd.c:873 device_initial_probe+0x4a/0x60 drivers/base/dd.c:920 bus_probe_device+0x177/0x3d0 drivers/base/bus.c:491 device_add+0x3b0e/0x40d0 drivers/base/core.c:2680 usb_new_device+0x1bd4/0x2a30 drivers/usb/core/hub.c:2554 hub_port_connect drivers/usb/core/hub.c:5208 [inline] hub_port_connect_change drivers/usb/core/hub.c:5348 [inline] port_event drivers/usb/core/hub.c:5494 [inline] hub_event+0x5e7b/0x8a70 drivers/usb/core/hub.c:5576 process_one_work+0x1688/0x2140 kernel/workqueue.c:2269 worker_thread+0x10bc/0x2730 kernel/workqueue.c:2415 kthread+0x551/0x590 kernel/kthread.c:292 ret_from_fork+0x1f/0x30 arch/x86/entry/entry_64.S:293 Local variable ----buf.i87@smsc75xx_bind created at: __smsc75xx_read_reg drivers/net/usb/smsc75xx.c:83 [inline] smsc75xx_wait_ready drivers/net/usb/smsc75xx.c:968 [inline] smsc75xx_bind+0x485/0x11e0 drivers/net/usb/smsc75xx.c:1482 __smsc75xx_read_reg drivers/net/usb/smsc75xx.c:83 [inline] smsc75xx_wait_ready drivers/net/usb/smsc75xx.c:968 [inline] smsc75xx_bind+0x485/0x11e0 drivers/net/usb/smsc75xx.c:1482 This issue is caused because usbnet_read_cmd() reads less bytes than requested (zero byte in the reproducer). In this case, 'buf' is not properly filled. This patch fixes the issue by returning -ENODATA if usbnet_read_cmd() reads less bytes than requested.
Source: redhat_csaf, BSI CSAF, BSI WID Portal, NVD (NIST), ENISA EUVD, cvelistv5
Affected products
The following versions are affected. Older releases of the same product line are also vulnerable unless stated otherwise.
| Affected versions | Fixed in | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Linux | Linux |
|
|
Vendors and products
Affected operating systems
| Linux | linux | linux_kernel | 6.6 |
| Linux | linux | linux_kernel | — |
References & sources
- git.kernel.orgstable/c/3e0af6eec1789fd11934164a7f4dbcad979855a4euvd, Patch
- git.kernel.orgstable/c/2a36d9e2995c8c3c3f179aab1215a69cff06cbedeuvd, Patch
- git.kernel.orgstable/c/310f1c92f65ad905b7e81fe14de82d979ebbd825euvd, Patch
- git.kernel.orgstable/c/30bc4d7aebe33904b0f2d3aad4b4a9c6029ad0c5euvd, Patch
- git.kernel.orgstable/c/cda10784a176d7192f08ecb518f777a4e9575812euvd, Patch
- git.kernel.orgstable/c/9ffc5018020fe646795a8dc1203224b8f776dc09euvd, Patch
- git.kernel.orgstable/c/4931e80da9463b03bfe42be54a9a19f213b0f76deuvd, Patch
- git.kernel.orgstable/c/e9c65989920f7c28775ec4e0c11b483910fb67b8euvd, Patch
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<a href="https://intel.neosec.eu/en/cve/CVE-2023-52528"><img src="https://intel.neosec.eu/badge/cve/CVE-2023-52528.svg?lang=en" alt="CVE-2023-52528 – NEOSEC Intel" height="20"></a>