VDB-324103 · CVE-2023-53238 · Nessus 265190

Linux Kernel up to 6.4.7 phy hisi_inno_phy_probe out-of-bounds write

CVSS Meta Temp Score CVSS is a standardized scoring system to determine possibilities of attacks. The Temp Score considers temporal factors like disclosure, exploit and countermeasures. The unique Meta Score calculates the average score of different sources to provide a normalized scoring system.	Current Exploit Price (≈) Our analysts are monitoring exploit markets and are in contact with vulnerability brokers. The range indicates the observed or calculated exploit price to be seen on exploit markets. A good indicator to understand the monetary effort required for and the popularity of an attack.	CTI Interest Score Our Cyber Threat Intelligence team is monitoring different web sites, mailing lists, exploit markets and social media networks. The CTI Interest Score identifies the interest of attackers and the security community for this specific vulnerability in real-time. A high score indicates an elevated risk to be targeted for this vulnerability.
7.4	$0-$5k	0.00

Summaryinfo

A vulnerability has been found in Linux Kernel up to 6.4.7 and classified as critical. Affected is the function hisi_inno_phy_probe of the component phy. This manipulation causes out-of-bounds write. This vulnerability appears as CVE-2023-53238. There is no available exploit. The affected component should be upgraded.

Detailsinfo

A vulnerability has been found in Linux Kernel up to 6.4.7 and classified as critical. Affected by this vulnerability is the function hisi_inno_phy_probe of the component phy. The manipulation with an unknown input leads to a out-of-bounds write vulnerability. The CWE definition for the vulnerability is CWE-787. The product writes data past the end, or before the beginning, of the intended buffer. As an impact it is known to affect confidentiality, integrity, and availability. The summary by CVE is:

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: phy: hisilicon: Fix an out of bounds check in hisi_inno_phy_probe() The size of array 'priv->ports[]' is INNO_PHY_PORT_NUM. In the for loop, 'i' is used as the index for array 'priv->ports[]' with a check (i > INNO_PHY_PORT_NUM) which indicates that INNO_PHY_PORT_NUM is allowed value for 'i' in the same loop. This > comparison needs to be changed to >=, otherwise it potentially leads to an out of bounds write on the next iteration through the loop

It is possible to read the advisory at git.kernel.org. This vulnerability is known as CVE-2023-53238 since 09/15/2025. The exploitation appears to be easy. Technical details of the vulnerability are known, but there is no available exploit. The pricing for an exploit might be around USD $0-$5k at the moment (estimation calculated on 01/11/2026).

The vulnerability scanner Nessus provides a plugin with the ID 265190 (Linux Distros Unpatched Vulnerability : CVE-2023-53238), which helps to determine the existence of the flaw in a target environment.

Upgrading to version 4.19.291, 5.4.253, 5.10.190, 5.15.124, 6.1.43 or 6.4.8 eliminates this vulnerability. Applying the patch 2843a2e703f5cb85c9eeca11b7ee90861635a010/195e806b2afb0bad6470c9094f7e45e0cf109ee0/ad249aa3c38f329f91fba8b4b3cd087e79fb0ce8/6d8a71e4c3a2fa4960cc50996e76a42b62fab677/01cb355bb92e8fcf8306e11a4774d610c5864e39/ce69eac840db0b559994dc4290fce3d7c0d7bccd/13c088cf3657d70893d75cf116be937f1509cc0f is able to eliminate this problem. The bugfix is ready for download at git.kernel.org. The best possible mitigation is suggested to be upgrading to the latest version.

The vulnerability is also documented in the databases at Tenable (265190) and CERT Bund (WID-SEC-2025-2053). Be aware that VulDB is the high quality source for vulnerability data.

Affected

Debian Linux
Amazon Linux 2
Red Hat Enterprise Linux
Ubuntu Linux
SUSE Linux
Oracle Linux
IBM QRadar SIEM
SUSE openSUSE
Open Source Linux Kernel
RESF Rocky Linux
Dell Secure Connect Gateway
F5 F5OS

Productinfo

Type

Operating System

Vendor

Linux

Name

Kernel

Version

License

open-source

Website

Vendor: https://www.kernel.org/

CPE 2.3info

CPE 2.2info

CVSSv4info

VulDB Vector: 🔒
VulDB Reliability: 🔍

CVSSv3info

VulDB Meta Base Score: 7.6
VulDB Meta Temp Score: 7.4

VulDB Base Score: 8.0
VulDB Temp Score: 7.6
VulDB Vector: 🔒
VulDB Reliability: 🔍

NVD Base Score: 7.1
NVD Vector: 🔒

CVSSv2info

AV	AC	Au	C	I	A
💳	💳	💳	💳	💳	💳
💳	💳	💳	💳	💳	💳
💳	💳	💳	💳	💳	💳

Vector	Complexity	Authentication	Confidentiality	Integrity	Availability
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VulDB Base Score: 🔒
VulDB Temp Score: 🔒
VulDB Reliability: 🔍

Exploitinginfo

Class: Out-of-bounds write
CWE: CWE-787 / CWE-119
CAPEC: 🔒
ATT&CK: 🔒

Physical: Partially
Local: Yes
Remote: Partially

Availability: 🔒
Status: Not defined

EPSS Score: 🔒
EPSS Percentile: 🔒

Price Prediction: 🔍
Current Price Estimation: 🔒

0-Day	Unlock	Unlock	Unlock	Unlock
Today	Unlock	Unlock	Unlock	Unlock

Nessus ID: 265190
Nessus Name: Linux Distros Unpatched Vulnerability : CVE-2023-53238

Threat Intelligenceinfo

Interest: 🔍
Active Actors: 🔍
Active APT Groups: 🔍

Countermeasuresinfo

Timelineinfo

09/15/2025 Advisory disclosed
09/15/2025 +0 days CVE reserved
09/15/2025 +0 days VulDB entry created
01/11/2026 +118 days VulDB entry last update

Sourcesinfo

Vendor: kernel.org

Advisory: git.kernel.org
Status: Confirmed

CVE: CVE-2023-53238 (🔒)
GCVE (CVE): GCVE-0-2023-53238
GCVE (VulDB): GCVE-100-324103
CERT Bund: WID-SEC-2025-2053 - Linux Kernel: Mehrere Schwachstellen

Entryinfo

Created: 09/15/2025 18:22
Updated: 01/11/2026 02:55
Changes: 09/15/2025 18:22 (59), 09/20/2025 12:59 (2), 12/05/2025 12:27 (11), 12/29/2025 04:27 (7), 01/11/2026 02:55 (1)
Complete: 🔍
Cache ID: 216::103