CVE-2023-54131 in Linux
Summary
by MITRE • 12/24/2025
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:
wifi: rt2x00: Fix memory leak when handling surveys
When removing a rt2x00 device, its associated channel surveys are not freed, causing a memory leak observable with kmemleak:
unreferenced object 0xffff9620f0881a00 (size 512): comm "systemd-udevd", pid 2290, jiffies 4294906974 (age 33.768s) hex dump (first 32 bytes): 70 44 12 00 00 00 00 00 92 8a 00 00 00 00 00 00 pD.............. 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 ab 87 01 00 00 00 00 00 ................ backtrace: [<ffffffffb0ed858b>] __kmalloc+0x4b/0x130
[<ffffffffc1b0f29b>] rt2800_probe_hw+0xc2b/0x1380 [rt2800lib]
[<ffffffffc1a9496e>] rt2800usb_probe_hw+0xe/0x60 [rt2800usb]
[<ffffffffc1ae491a>] rt2x00lib_probe_dev+0x21a/0x7d0 [rt2x00lib]
[<ffffffffc1b3b83e>] rt2x00usb_probe+0x1be/0x980 [rt2x00usb]
[<ffffffffc05981e2>] usb_probe_interface+0xe2/0x310 [usbcore]
[<ffffffffb13be2d5>] really_probe+0x1a5/0x410
[<ffffffffb13be5c8>] __driver_probe_device+0x78/0x180
[<ffffffffb13be6fe>] driver_probe_device+0x1e/0x90
[<ffffffffb13be972>] __driver_attach+0xd2/0x1c0
[<ffffffffb13bbc57>] bus_for_each_dev+0x77/0xd0
[<ffffffffb13bd2a2>] bus_add_driver+0x112/0x210
[<ffffffffb13bfc6c>] driver_register+0x5c/0x120
[<ffffffffc0596ae8>] usb_register_driver+0x88/0x150 [usbcore]
[<ffffffffb0c011c4>] do_one_initcall+0x44/0x220
[<ffffffffb0d6134c>] do_init_module+0x4c/0x220
Fix this by freeing the channel surveys on device removal.
Tested with a RT3070 based USB wireless adapter.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/03/2026
The vulnerability CVE-2023-54131 represents a memory leak in the Linux kernel's rt2x00 wireless driver subsystem, specifically affecting devices based on the rt2800 chipset family. This issue manifests when wireless devices are removed from the system, leaving behind allocated memory structures that are no longer referenced or freed, creating a persistent memory leak that can accumulate over time and potentially lead to system performance degradation or resource exhaustion. The vulnerability is classified under CWE-401 as a failure to release memory resources, which directly impacts system stability and resource management. The memory leak occurs in the rt2800lib module during the hardware probing process, where channel survey data structures are allocated but not properly deallocated during device removal operations.
The technical flaw stems from improper memory management within the rt2x00 wireless driver framework where the channel survey data structures allocated during device initialization are not freed when the device is removed from the system. The backtrace clearly shows the allocation path through rt2800_probe_hw function which calls __kmalloc to allocate 512 bytes of memory for channel survey data. This allocation occurs during device probe operations but the corresponding free operation is missing during device removal, creating an unreferenced object that remains in memory until the system reboots. The vulnerability affects USB-based wireless adapters, particularly those using the RT3070 chipset, and demonstrates a classic case of resource leak where kernel memory allocated for device-specific data structures is not properly cleaned up during device teardown.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple memory consumption as it can lead to progressive system resource exhaustion, particularly in environments with frequent device insertion and removal operations. When multiple wireless devices are repeatedly connected and disconnected, the cumulative effect of these memory leaks can result in significant memory pressure, potentially causing system slowdowns, application failures, or even system crashes. The vulnerability is particularly concerning in embedded systems or server environments where wireless devices may be frequently reconfigured or where the system maintains multiple wireless interfaces simultaneously. The kmemleak detection mechanism identifies this issue by tracking unreferenced kernel objects and reporting them as potential memory leaks that require attention.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2023-54131 involve applying the official kernel patch that ensures proper cleanup of channel survey data structures during device removal operations. System administrators should prioritize updating their kernel versions to include the fix, particularly in production environments where wireless device management is frequent. The fix implements proper resource cleanup by adding code to free the allocated channel survey memory structures when rt2x00 devices are removed from the system. Organizations should also monitor their systems for memory leaks using tools like kmemleak and regular system audits to detect similar issues. This vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1490 which covers resource exhaustion attacks, and the fix demonstrates proper defensive programming practices that should be implemented across all kernel subsystems to prevent similar memory leak scenarios. Regular kernel updates and security patches should be maintained to prevent exploitation of such vulnerabilities in wireless device management systems.