Linux Kernel up to 6.3.4 mlx5_devcom_register_device use after free

Summaryinfo

A vulnerability classified as critical has been found in Linux Kernel up to 5.4.243/5.10.180/5.15.113/6.1.30/6.3.4. Impacted is the function mlx5_devcom_register_device. Performing a manipulation results in use after free. This vulnerability is identified as CVE-2023-54015. There is not any exploit available. It is recommended to upgrade the affected component.

Detailsinfo

A vulnerability classified as critical has been found in Linux Kernel up to 5.4.243/5.10.180/5.15.113/6.1.30/6.3.4. This affects the function mlx5_devcom_register_device. The manipulation with an unknown input leads to a use after free vulnerability. CWE is classifying the issue as CWE-416. Referencing memory after it has been freed can cause a program to crash, use unexpected values, or execute code. This is going to have an impact on confidentiality, integrity, and availability. The summary by CVE is:

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: net/mlx5: Devcom, fix error flow in mlx5_devcom_register_device In case devcom allocation is failed, mlx5 is always freeing the priv. However, this priv might have been allocated by a different thread, and freeing it might lead to use-after-free bugs. Fix it by freeing the priv only in case it was allocated by the running thread.

It is possible to read the advisory at git.kernel.org. This vulnerability is uniquely identified as CVE-2023-54015 since 12/24/2025. The exploitability is told 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 12/26/2025).

The vulnerability scanner Nessus provides a plugin with the ID 279959 (Linux Distros Unpatched Vulnerability : CVE-2023-54015), which helps to determine the existence of the flaw in a target environment.

Upgrading to version 5.4.244, 5.10.181, 5.15.114, 6.1.31 or 6.3.5 eliminates this vulnerability. Applying the patch 3dfc1004d9afbf689087ae1eafd88f55481984c7/d4d10a6df1529b3f446cdada5c25e065f4712756/1e755065368000205e6683fa924b2654e99f573b/eaa365c10459052cbe3e44caa4ad760cb93bd435/a3a516caef2c5be2f4d171890a8b3415bfab4e5e/af87194352cad882d787d06fb7efa714acd95427 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 (279959) and CERT Bund (WID-SEC-2025-2920). Statistical analysis made it clear that VulDB provides the best quality for vulnerability data.

Affected

• Open Source Linux Kernel

Productinfo

Type

• Operating System

Vendor

• Linux

Name

• Kernel

Version

• 5.4.243
• 5.10.180
• 5.15.113
• 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
• 6.3.0
• 6.3.1
• 6.3.2
• 6.3.3
• 6.3.4

License

• open-source

Website

• Vendor: https://www.kernel.org/

CPE 2.3info

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CPE 2.2info

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