CVE-2023-53753: 
Linux Kernel vulnerability analysis and mitigation

CVE-2023-53753 is a memory mapping vulnerability in the Linux kernel's AMD display driver (drm/amd/display) that involves improper out-of-bounds allocation of GPIO registers. The flaw causes the driver to map a non-allocated memory location, accessing an array beyond its valid bounds. It affects Linux kernel versions prior to 6.1.16, 6.2.3, and 6.3, and was publicly disclosed on December 8, 2025. It carries a CVSS v3.1 base score of 7.0 (High) (Red Hat Advisory, Red Hat Bugzilla).

The root cause is an out-of-bounds array access (CWE-119/CWE-787) in the drm/amd/display subsystem of the Linux kernel, where GPIO register allocation uses incorrect bounds, causing the driver to reference memory outside the allocated array. The attack vector is local, requiring low privileges and no user interaction, but exploitation is rated high complexity. The fix corrects the bounds used when allocating GPIO registers, preventing the driver from accessing unallocated memory regions (Red Hat Advisory, Red Hat Bugzilla).

Successful exploitation by a local low-privileged attacker could compromise system confidentiality, integrity, and availability — potentially enabling arbitrary code execution, unauthorized access to sensitive kernel memory, or system crashes. The vulnerability is confined to systems with AMD GPU hardware and the affected display driver loaded. There is no indication of network-based lateral movement potential, as the attack vector is strictly local (Red Hat Advisory).

There is no public proof-of-concept exploit and no evidence of active in-the-wild exploitation at this time. The vulnerability is not listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog. The EPSS score is approximately 0.017%, reflecting a very low probability of exploitation in the near term (Red Hat Advisory).

The vulnerability is patched in Linux kernel versions 6.1.16, 6.2.3, and 6.3. Administrators should update to these versions or any later release. As interim mitigations, limiting local user access and permissions on systems with AMD GPUs, and monitoring for unusual memory access patterns, are recommended. Patches are available via the upstream kernel stable tree (Red Hat Advisory, Red Hat Bugzilla).