CVE-2023-53658

Medium

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: spi: bcm-qspi: return error if neither hif_mspi nor mspi is available If neither a "hif_mspi" nor "mspi" resource is present, the driver will just early exit in probe but still return success. Apart from not doing anything meaningful, this would then also lead to a null pointer access on removal, as platform_get_drvdata() would return NULL, which it would then try to dereference when trying to unregister the spi master. Fix this by unconditionally calling devm_ioremap_resource(), as it can handle a NULL res and will then return a viable ERR_PTR() if we get one. The "return 0;" was previously a "goto qspi_resource_err;" where then ret was returned, but since ret was still initialized to 0 at this place this was a valid conversion in 63c5395bb7a9 ("spi: bcm-qspi: Fix use-after-free on unbind"). The issue was not introduced by this commit, only made more obvious.

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-2023-53658 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 4.9 and later are affected. Fixed in 4.14.322, 4.19.291, 5.4.251, 5.10.188, 5.15.121, 6.1.39, 6.4.4, 6.5 and their respective stable series.

Affected from
≥ 4.9
Fixed in
✓ 4.14.322 4.14.x ✓ 4.19.291 4.19.x ✓ 5.4.251 5.4.x ✓ 5.10.188 5.10.x ✓ 5.15.121 5.15.x ✓ 6.1.39 6.1.x ✓ 6.4.4 6.4.x ✓ 6.5

References

The following references provide additional information about CVE-2023-53658 including vendor advisories, patch commits, exploit details, and third-party analysis. Links are sourced from the NIST NVD database.

8 patch commits total View all on NVD

Frequently asked questions

  • What is CVE-2023-53658?

    CVE-2023-53658 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 4.9 onward and has been patched in 4.14.322, 4.19.291, 5.4.251 and others. CVE-2023-53658 has not been confirmed as actively exploited and is not listed in the CISA KEV catalog.

  • What is the CVSS score for CVE-2023-53658?

    CVE-2023-53658 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-2023-53658?

    Yes — CVE-2023-53658 has been patched. Fixed versions include 4.14.322, 4.19.291, 5.4.251 and others. If you are running Linux kernel 4.9 or later up to the fix versions, apply the relevant patch for your kernel branch.

  • Is CVE-2023-53658 actively exploited?

    No — CVE-2023-53658 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 →

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