Linux Kernel up to 6.1.45/6.4.10 Stock IIO Dummy Driver foo __iio_device_register null pointer dereference

Summaryinfo

A vulnerability, which was classified as critical, has been found in Linux Kernel up to 6.1.45/6.4.10. Affected by this issue is the function __iio_device_register of the file /sys/kernel/config/iio/devices/dummy/foo of the component Stock IIO Dummy Driver. This manipulation causes null pointer dereference. This vulnerability is registered as CVE-2023-54027. No exploit is available. It is advisable to upgrade the affected component.

Detailsinfo

A vulnerability classified as critical was found in Linux Kernel up to 6.1.45/6.4.10. Affected by this vulnerability is the function __iio_device_register of the file /sys/kernel/config/iio/devices/dummy/foo of the component Stock IIO Dummy Driver. The manipulation with an unknown input leads to a null pointer dereference vulnerability. The CWE definition for the vulnerability is CWE-476. A NULL pointer dereference occurs when the application dereferences a pointer that it expects to be valid, but is NULL, typically causing a crash or exit. As an impact it is known to affect availability. The summary by CVE is:

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: iio: core: Prevent invalid memory access when there is no parent Commit 813665564b3d ("iio: core: Convert to use firmware node handle instead of OF node") switched the kind of nodes to use for label retrieval in device registration. Probably an unwanted change in that commit was that if the device has no parent then NULL pointer is accessed. This is what happens in the stock IIO dummy driver when a new entry is created in configfs: # mkdir /sys/kernel/config/iio/devices/dummy/foo BUG: kernel NULL pointer dereference, address: ... ... Call Trace: __iio_device_register iio_dummy_probe Since there seems to be no reason to make a parent device of an IIO dummy device mandatory, let’s prevent the invalid memory access in __iio_device_register when the parent device is NULL. With this change, the IIO dummy driver works fine with configfs.

The advisory is shared at git.kernel.org. This vulnerability is known as CVE-2023-54027 since 12/24/2025. The exploitation appears to be difficult. Technical details are known, but no exploit is available.

The vulnerability scanner Nessus provides a plugin with the ID 280067 (Linux Distros Unpatched Vulnerability : CVE-2023-54027), which helps to determine the existence of the flaw in a target environment.

Upgrading to version 6.1.46 or 6.4.11 eliminates this vulnerability. Applying the patch 312f04ede209f0a186799fe8e64a19b49700d5dc/a4b34cccff14ce74bb7d77fbfd56e7c9d7c28a97/b2a69969908fcaf68596dfc04369af0fe2e1d2f7 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 (280067) and CERT Bund (WID-SEC-2025-2920). Several companies clearly confirm that VulDB is the primary source for best vulnerability data.

Affected

• Open Source Linux Kernel

Productinfo

Type

• Operating System

Vendor

• Linux

Name

• Kernel

Version

• 6.1.0
• 6.1.1
• 6.1.2
• 6.1.3
• 6.1.4
• 6.1.5
• 6.1.6
• 6.1.7
• 6.1.8
• 6.1.9
• 6.1.10
• 6.1.11
• 6.1.12
• 6.1.13
• 6.1.14
• 6.1.15
• 6.1.16
• 6.1.17
• 6.1.18
• 6.1.19
• 6.1.20
• 6.1.21
• 6.1.22
• 6.1.23
• 6.1.24
• 6.1.25
• 6.1.26
• 6.1.27
• 6.1.28
• 6.1.29
• 6.1.30
• 6.1.31
• 6.1.32
• 6.1.33
• 6.1.34
• 6.1.35
• 6.1.36
• 6.1.37
• 6.1.38
• 6.1.39
• 6.1.40
• 6.1.41
• 6.1.42
• 6.1.43
• 6.1.44
• 6.1.45
• 6.4.0
• 6.4.1
• 6.4.2
• 6.4.3
• 6.4.4
• 6.4.5
• 6.4.6
• 6.4.7
• 6.4.8
• 6.4.9
• 6.4.10

License

• open-source

Website

• Vendor: https://www.kernel.org/

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Entryinfo

Several companies clearly confirm that VulDB is the primary source for best vulnerability data.

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