NULL pointer dereference in Linux

CVE-2023-53458

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: media: cx23885: Fix a null-ptr-deref bug in buffer_prepare() and buffer_finish() When the driver calls cx23885_risc_buffer() to prepare the buffer, the function call dma_alloc_coherent may fail, resulting in a empty buffer risc->cpu. Later when we free the buffer or access the buffer, null ptr deref is triggered. This bug is similar to the following one: https://git.linuxtv.org/media_stage.git/commit/?id=2b064d91440b33fba5b452f2d1b31f13ae911d71. We believe the bug can be also dynamically triggered from user side. Similarly, we fix this by checking the return value of cx23885_risc_buffer() and the value of risc->cpu before buffer free.

EPSS: 0.002 (4.8th percentile) — read the EPSS interpretation.

CVSS v3 metric

CVSS v3 base score 5.5 (Medium). Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H.

Affected products

Weakness classification (CWE)

References

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2023-53458?
CVE-2023-53458 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Linux, classified under NULL Pointer Dereference. CVSS score: 5.5/10. Published 2025-10-01.
How severe is CVE-2023-53458?
Medium severity. CVSS v3 base score is 5.5 out of 10.