CVE-2023-53678 in Linux
Summary
by MITRE • 10/07/2025
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:
drm/i915: Fix system suspend without fbdev being initialized
If fbdev is not initialized for some reason - in practice on platforms without display - suspending fbdev should be skipped during system suspend, fix this up. While at it add an assert that suspending fbdev only happens with the display present.
This fixes the following:
[ 91.227923] PM: suspend entry (s2idle)
[ 91.254598] Filesystems sync: 0.025 seconds
[ 91.270518] Freezing user space processes
[ 91.272266] Freezing user space processes completed (elapsed 0.001 seconds)
[ 91.272686] OOM killer disabled.
[ 91.272872] Freezing remaining freezable tasks
[ 91.274295] Freezing remaining freezable tasks completed (elapsed 0.001 seconds)
[ 91.659622] BUG: kernel NULL pointer dereference, address: 00000000000001c8
[ 91.659981] #PF: supervisor write access in kernel mode
[ 91.660252] #PF: error_code(0x0002) - not-present page
[ 91.660511] PGD 0 P4D 0
[ 91.660647] Oops: 0002 [#1] PREEMPT SMP NOPTI
[ 91.660875] CPU: 4 PID: 917 Comm: bash Not tainted 6.2.0-rc7+ #54
[ 91.661185] Hardware name: QEMU Standard PC (Q35 + ICH9, 2009), BIOS edk2-20221117gitfff6d81270b5-9.fc37 unknown
[ 91.661680] RIP: 0010:mutex_lock+0x19/0x30
[ 91.661914] Code: 90 90 90 90 90 90 90 90 90 90 90 90 90 90 90 90 90 0f 1f 44 00 00 53 48 89 fb e8 62 d3 ff ff 31 c0 65 48 8b 14 25 00 15 03 00 <f0> 48 0f b1 13 75 06 5b c3 cc cc cc cc 48 89 df 5b eb b4 0f 1f 40
[ 91.662840] RSP: 0018:ffffa1e8011ffc08 EFLAGS: 00010246
[ 91.663087] RAX: 0000000000000000 RBX: 00000000000001c8 RCX: 0000000000000000
[ 91.663440] RDX: ffff8be455eb0000 RSI: 0000000000000001 RDI: 00000000000001c8
[ 91.663802] RBP: ffff8be459440000 R08: ffff8be459441f08 R09: ffffffff8e1432c0
[ 91.664167] R10: 0000000000000000 R11: 0000000000000000 R12: 0000000000000001
[ 91.664532] R13: 00000000000001c8 R14: 0000000000000000 R15: ffff8be442f4fb20
[ 91.664905] FS: 00007f28ffc16740(0000) GS:ffff8be4bb900000(0000) knlGS:0000000000000000
[ 91.665334] CS: 0010 DS: 0000 ES: 0000 CR0: 0000000080050033
[ 91.665626] CR2: 00000000000001c8 CR3: 0000000114926006 CR4: 0000000000770ee0
[ 91.665988] PKRU: 55555554
[ 91.666131] Call Trace:
[ 91.666265] <TASK>
[ 91.666381] intel_fbdev_set_suspend+0x97/0x1b0 [i915]
[ 91.666738] i915_drm_suspend+0xb9/0x100 [i915]
[ 91.667029] pci_pm_suspend+0x78/0x170
[ 91.667234] ? __pfx_pci_pm_suspend+0x10/0x10
[ 91.667461] dpm_run_callback+0x47/0x150
[ 91.667673] __device_suspend+0x10a/0x4e0
[ 91.667880] dpm_suspend+0x134/0x270
[ 91.668069] dpm_suspend_start+0x79/0x80
[ 91.668272] suspend_devices_and_enter+0x11b/0x890
[ 91.668526] pm_suspend.cold+0x270/0x2fc
[ 91.668737] state_store+0x46/0x90
[ 91.668916] kernfs_fop_write_iter+0x11b/0x200
[ 91.669153] vfs_write+0x1e1/0x3a0
[ 91.669336] ksys_write+0x53/0xd0
[ 91.669510] do_syscall_64+0x58/0xc0
[ 91.669699] ? syscall_exit_to_user_mode_prepare+0x18e/0x1c0
[ 91.669980] ? syscall_exit_to_user_mode_prepare+0x18e/0x1c0
[ 91.670278] ? syscall_exit_to_user_mode+0x17/0x40
[ 91.670524] ? do_syscall_64+0x67/0xc0
[ 91.670717] ? __irq_exit_rcu+0x3d/0x140
[ 91.670931] entry_SYSCALL_64_after_hwframe+0x72/0xdc
[ 91.671202] RIP: 0033:0x7f28ffd14284
v2: CC stable. (Jani)
References: https://gitlab.freedesktop.org/drm/intel/-/issues/8015 (cherry picked from commit 9542d708409a41449e99c9a464deb5e062c4bee2)
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/01/2026
The vulnerability described in CVE-2023-53678 resides within the Linux kernel's graphics driver subsystem, specifically within the intel i915 driver. This issue manifests during system suspend operations when the framebuffer device (fbdev) is not initialized, typically occurring on platforms without display capabilities. The root cause stems from a lack of proper validation before attempting to suspend fbdev, leading to a kernel NULL pointer dereference. The technical flaw occurs in the intel_fbdev_set_suspend function, where the driver attempts to access a null pointer at address 0x00000000000001c8 during the suspend sequence, resulting in a kernel oops and system crash. This condition is particularly critical because it can cause system instability and potential denial of service during power management operations.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple system crashes, as it affects the reliability of power management features on graphics systems. When a system attempts to enter suspend mode without proper display initialization, the kernel's handling of fbdev suspension becomes problematic, potentially leading to complete system hangs or unexpected reboots. The vulnerability is particularly concerning in embedded systems or server environments where automatic suspend operations are common and system reliability is paramount. According to the ATT&CK framework, this vulnerability could be leveraged to disrupt system availability through persistent suspension failures, while CWE classification indicates this as a CWE-476: NULL Pointer Dereference, a common and dangerous pattern in kernel space programming.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2023-53678 involve applying the kernel patch that was developed to address the specific race condition in the i915 driver. The fix implements a proper assertion check that prevents fbdev suspension when display hardware is not present, thereby avoiding the NULL pointer dereference. System administrators should ensure their kernels are updated to versions containing this patch, particularly those using Intel graphics hardware in environments where display devices may not be present. Additionally, monitoring for system suspend failures and implementing proper error handling in custom applications that interact with graphics subsystems can help detect and prevent exploitation of this vulnerability. The fix also includes enhanced validation logic that aligns with industry best practices for kernel development, ensuring that subsystems properly check for resource availability before attempting operations that could lead to system instability.