CVE-2023-53182: 
Linux Kernel vulnerability analysis and mitigation

CVE-2023-53182 is a vulnerability in the Linux kernel's ACPICA (ACPI Component Architecture) component involving undefined behavior caused by applying a zero offset to a null pointer during ACPI namespace initialization. The flaw was identified in the acpi_ds_init_aml_walk() function in dswstate.c and was originally detected via UBSAN (Undefined Behavior Sanitizer) stack traces on the Fuchsia platform. It affects multiple Linux kernel versions: before 4.14.316, 4.15.x–4.19.284, 4.20.x–5.4.244, 5.5.x–5.10.181, 5.11.x–5.15.113, 5.16.x–6.1.30, and 6.2.x–6.3.4. It was publicly disclosed on September 15, 2025, and carries a CVSS v3.1 base score of 5.5 (Medium) (Red Hat Advisory, Red Hat Bugzilla).

The root cause is classified as undefined behavior (CWE-476 / null pointer dereference class) — specifically, the ACPICA code in dswstate.c at line 682 performs pointer arithmetic by adding a zero offset to a null pointer, which is undefined behavior in C. This occurs during the acpi_ds_init_aml_walk() function when initializing an AML walk state, and can be triggered during ACPI device initialization via the call chain: acpi_initialize_objects() → acpi_ns_initialize_devices() → acpi_ns_walk_namespace() → acpi_ns_init_one_device() → acpi_ps_execute_method() → acpi_ds_init_aml_walk(). The fix, corresponding to ACPICA commit 770653e3ba67c30a629ca7d12e352d83c2541b1e, adds a simple null-pointer check to avoid incrementing the pointer by zero. The attack vector is local, requiring low privileges and no user interaction (Red Hat Bugzilla).

Successful exploitation by a local, low-privileged attacker could trigger undefined kernel behavior during ACPI initialization, potentially leading to a system crash or denial of service. The vulnerability has a high availability impact with no confidentiality or integrity impact, meaning it cannot be used to access or modify data but can disrupt system stability. The scope is limited to the affected system, with no evidence of lateral movement potential (Red Hat Advisory, Red Hat Bugzilla).

There is no known public proof-of-concept exploit for CVE-2023-53182, and no evidence of in-the-wild exploitation has been reported. The vulnerability is not listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog. The EPSS score is approximately 0.024% (0.000240), indicating a very low probability of exploitation in the near term (Red Hat Advisory).

Patches are available for all affected kernel version branches. Users should update to the following fixed versions or later: 4.14.316, 4.19.284, 5.4.244, 5.10.181, 5.15.113, 6.1.30, or 6.3.4. Multiple upstream kernel commits have been issued (e.g., 05bb0167c80b, 16359bc02c09, 3048c6b84a51, 35465c7a91c6, and others). As interim measures, restricting local user access and monitoring system logs for unusual ACPI-related errors is recommended; kernel live patching may also be applicable where supported (Red Hat Bugzilla, Kernel Patch).