What is CVE-2023-53442?

CVE-2023-53442 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 5.16 onward and patched in 6.1.47, 6.4.12 and 6.5. CVE-2023-53442 has not been confirmed as actively exploited and is not listed in the CISA KEV catalog.

What is the CVSS score for CVE-2023-53442?

CVE-2023-53442 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-2023-53442?

Yes, CVE-2023-53442 has been patched. Fixed versions include 6.1.47, 6.4.12 and 6.5. If you are running Linux kernel 5.16 or later up to the fix versions, apply the relevant patch for your kernel branch.

Is CVE-2023-53442 actively exploited?

CVE-2023-53442 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-2023-53442

Medium

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: ice: Block switchdev mode when ADQ is active and vice versa ADQ and switchdev are not supported simultaneously. Enabling both at the same time can result in nullptr dereference. To prevent this, check if ADQ is active when changing devlink mode to switchdev mode, and check if switchdev is active when enabling ADQ.

Package Linux Kernel

Published 2025-09-18

Last modified 2026-01-14

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-2023-53442 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 5.16 and later are affected. Fixed in 6.1.47, 6.4.12, 6.5 and their respective stable series.

Affected from

≥ 5.16

Fixed in

✓ 6.1.47 6.1.x ✓ 6.4.12 6.4.x ✓ 6.5

References

The following references provide additional information about CVE-2023-53442 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/1c82d1b736ce85e77fd4da05eca6f1f4a52a2bc3
Patch
Kernel patch commit
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/24f0d69da35d812b3a1104918014a29627140cb1
Patch
Kernel patch commit
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/43d00e102d9ecbe2635d7e3f2e14d2e90183d6af
Patch

Details

CVE ID CVE-2023-53442

Severity Medium

CVSS score 5.5 / 10

CVSS version 3.1

Published 2025-09-18

Modified 2026-01-14

KEV No

Patch

Yes

Package linux

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2023-53442?

CVE-2023-53442 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 5.16 onward and has been patched in 6.1.47, 6.4.12 and 6.5. CVE-2023-53442 has not been confirmed as actively exploited and is not listed in the CISA KEV catalog.
What is the CVSS score for CVE-2023-53442?

CVE-2023-53442 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-2023-53442?

Yes — CVE-2023-53442 has been patched. Fixed versions include 6.1.47, 6.4.12 and 6.5. If you are running Linux kernel 5.16 or later up to the fix versions, apply the relevant patch for your kernel branch.
Is CVE-2023-53442 actively exploited?

No — CVE-2023-53442 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 →