What is CVE-2023-53206?

CVE-2023-53206 is a Medium severity Linux kernel vulnerability with a CVSS score of 5.5 out of 10, classified as a NULL Pointer Dereference flaw (CWE-476), affecting Linux kernel versions from 6.4 onward and patched in 6.4.8 and 6.5. CVE-2023-53206 has not been confirmed as actively exploited and is not listed in the CISA KEV catalog.

What is the CVSS score for CVE-2023-53206?

CVE-2023-53206 has a CVSS score of 5.5 out of 10, rated Medium severity. The vector string is CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H.

Is there a patch available for CVE-2023-53206?

Yes, CVE-2023-53206 has been patched. Fixed versions include 6.4.8 and 6.5. If you are running Linux kernel 6.4 or later up to the fix versions, apply the relevant patch for your kernel branch.

Is CVE-2023-53206 actively exploited?

CVE-2023-53206 has not been confirmed as actively exploited and is not listed in the CISA KEV catalog.

What is NULL Pointer Dereference (CWE-476)?

The product dereferences a pointer that it expects to be valid but is NULL, typically causing a crash. See MITRE CWE for full details: https://cwe.mitre.org/data/definitions/476.html

CVE-2023-53206

Medium

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: hwmon: (pmbus_core) Fix NULL pointer dereference Pass i2c_client to _pmbus_is_enabled to drop the assumption that a regulator device is passed in. This will fix the issue of a NULL pointer dereference when called from _pmbus_get_flags.

Package Linux Kernel

Published 2025-09-15

Last modified 2025-12-04

CVSS version 3.1

Patch available

Yes

CVSS 3.1 score

5.5

out of 10

Medium

Attack Vector

Local

Attack Complexity

Low

Privileges Required

Low

User Interaction

None

Scope

Unchanged

Confidentiality

Low

Integrity

None

Availability

High

Vector string

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H

Weakness type

CWE-476

CVE-2023-53206 is a NULL Pointer Dereference vulnerability

What is NULL Pointer Dereference?

The product dereferences a pointer that it expects to be valid but is NULL, typically causing a crash. Learn more on MITRE CWE

Affected versions

Linux kernel versions 6.4 and later are affected. Fixed in 6.4.8, 6.5 and their respective stable series.

Affected from

≥ 6.4

Fixed in

✓ 6.4.8 6.4.x ✓ 6.5

References

The following references provide additional information about CVE-2023-53206 including vendor advisories, patch commits, exploit details, and third-party analysis. Links are sourced from the NIST NVD database.

Kernel patch commit
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/0bd66784274a287beada2933c2c0fa3a0ddae0d7
Patch
Kernel patch commit
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/7444253cacd92412bc8d33d1c9b5401f52cdf0e2
Patch

Details

CVE ID CVE-2023-53206

Severity Medium

CVSS score 5.5 / 10

CVSS version 3.1

Published 2025-09-15

Modified 2025-12-04

KEV No

Patch

Yes

Package linux

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2023-53206?

CVE-2023-53206 is a Medium severity Linux kernel vulnerability with a CVSS score of 5.5 out of 10 , classified as a NULL Pointer Dereference flaw (CWE-476) . It affects Linux kernel versions from 6.4 onward and has been patched in 6.4.8 and 6.5. CVE-2023-53206 has not been confirmed as actively exploited and is not listed in the CISA KEV catalog.
What is the CVSS score for CVE-2023-53206?

CVE-2023-53206 has a CVSS score of 5.5 out of 10, rated Medium severity (CVSS 3.1). The vector string is CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H.
Is there a patch available for CVE-2023-53206?

Yes — CVE-2023-53206 has been patched. Fixed versions include 6.4.8 and 6.5. If you are running Linux kernel 6.4 or later up to the fix versions, apply the relevant patch for your kernel branch.
Is CVE-2023-53206 actively exploited?

No — CVE-2023-53206 has not been confirmed as actively exploited. It is not listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog.
What is NULL Pointer Dereference (CWE-476)?

The product dereferences a pointer that it expects to be valid but is NULL, typically causing a crash. View CWE-476 on MITRE CWE →