What is CVE-2023-53657?

CVE-2023-53657 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 6.1.55, 6.5.5 and 6.6. CVE-2023-53657 has not been confirmed as actively exploited and is not listed in the CISA KEV catalog.

What is the CVSS score for CVE-2023-53657?

CVE-2023-53657 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-2023-53657?

Yes, CVE-2023-53657 has been patched. Fixed versions include 6.1.55, 6.5.5 and 6.6. 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-2023-53657 actively exploited?

CVE-2023-53657 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-2023-53657

Medium

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: ice: Don't tx before switchdev is fully configured There is possibility that ice_eswitch_port_start_xmit might be called while some resources are still not allocated which might cause NULL pointer dereference. Fix this by checking if switchdev configuration was finished.

Package Linux Kernel

Published 2025-10-07

Last modified 2026-02-03

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-2023-53657 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 6.1.55, 6.5.5, 6.6 and their respective stable series.

Affected from

≥ 5.16

Fixed in

✓ 6.1.55 6.1.x ✓ 6.5.5 6.5.x ✓ 6.6

References

The following references provide additional information about CVE-2023-53657 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/5760a72b3060150b587eff3e879648c7470efddd
Patch
Kernel patch commit
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/63ff5a94649837d980e3b9ef535c793ec8cb0ca7
Patch
Kernel patch commit
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/7aa529a69e92b9aff585e569d5003f7c15d8d60b
Patch

Details

CVE ID CVE-2023-53657

Severity Medium

CVSS score 5.5 / 10

CVSS version 3.1

Published 2025-10-07

Modified 2026-02-03

KEV No

Patch

Yes

Package linux

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2023-53657?

CVE-2023-53657 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 6.1.55, 6.5.5 and 6.6. CVE-2023-53657 has not been confirmed as actively exploited and is not listed in the CISA KEV catalog.
What is the CVSS score for CVE-2023-53657?

CVE-2023-53657 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-2023-53657?

Yes — CVE-2023-53657 has been patched. Fixed versions include 6.1.55, 6.5.5 and 6.6. 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-2023-53657 actively exploited?

No — CVE-2023-53657 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 →