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Vulnerability DatabaseCVE-2023-53234
CVE-2023-53234:
Linux Kernel vulnerability analysis and mitigation
Overview
CVE-2023-53234 is a vulnerability discovered in the Linux kernel's watchdog subsystem, specifically in the watchdog_cdev_register function. The vulnerability was disclosed on September 15, 2025, affecting the Linux kernel's watchdog driver implementation (NVD).
Technical details
The vulnerability stems from a memory leak in the watchdog_dev_register function. The issue occurs when put_device is not called if cdev_device_add fails and wdd->id != 0. This leads to unreferenced objects being created, with sizes of 2048 bytes and 16 bytes, as reported by kmemleak (NVD).
Impact
The vulnerability results in memory leaks in the kernel's watchdog subsystem, which could potentially lead to resource exhaustion over time. While the immediate impact is limited to memory leakage, continued exploitation could affect system stability (NVD).
Mitigation and workarounds
The fix involves modifying the watchdog_cdev_register function to call put_device in all wdd->id cases, ensuring proper cleanup of device resources. This prevents the memory leak condition from occurring (NVD).
Additional resources
Source: This report was generated using AI
Related Linux Kernel vulnerabilities:
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