CVE-2023-52989: In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: firewire: fix memory leak for payload of request subaction to IEC 61883-1 FCP reg...

Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: firewire: fix memory leak for payload of request subaction to IEC 61883-1 FCP region This patch is fix for Linux kernel v2.6.33 or later. For request subaction to IEC 61883-1 FCP region, Linux FireWire subsystem have had an issue of use-after-free. The subsystem allows multiple user space listeners to the region, while data of the payload was likely released before the listeners execute read(2) to access to it for copying to user space. The issue was fixed by a commit 281e20323ab7 ("firewire: core: fix use-after-free regression in FCP handler"). The object of payload is duplicated in kernel space for each listener. When the listener executes ioctl(2) with FW_CDEV_IOC_SEND_RESPONSE request, the object is going to be released. However, it causes memory leak since the commit relies on call of release_request() in drivers/firewire/core-cdev.c. Against the expectation, the function is never called due to the design of release_client_resource(). The function delegates release task to caller when called with non-NULL fourth argument. The implementation of ioctl_send_response() is the case. It should release the object explicitly. This commit fixes the bug.

Metrics

CVSS 3.1

5.5/10

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H

EPSS Probability

0.22%

12.9th percentile

Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days. Learn more

Weakness Enumeration

Affected Software

Vendor	Product	Versions	Update
Linux	Linux Kernel	>= 2.6.33, < 4.14.306	—
Linux	Linux Kernel	>= 4.15, < 4.19.273	—
Linux	Linux Kernel	>= 4.20, < 5.4.232	—
Linux	Linux Kernel	>= 5.5, < 5.10.168	—
Linux	Linux Kernel	>= 5.11, < 5.15.93	—
Linux	Linux Kernel	>= 5.16, < 6.1.11	—
Linux	Linux Kernel	6.2	Rc1

References

Timeline

Published: Mar 27, 2025
Last Modified: Jun 17, 2026
Status: Modified

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2023-52989?

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: firewire: fix memory leak for payload of request subaction to IEC 61883-1 FCP region This patch is fix for Linux kernel v2.6.33 or later. For request subaction to IEC 61883-1 FCP region, Linux FireWire subsystem have had an issue of use-after-free. The subsystem allows multiple user space listeners to the region, while data of the payload was likely released before the listeners execute read(2) to access to it for copying to user space. The issue was fixed by a commit 281e20323ab7 ("firewire: core: fix use-after-free regression in FCP handler"). The object of payload is duplicated in kernel space for each listener. When the listener executes ioctl(2) with FW_CDEV_IOC_SEND_RESPONSE request, the object is going to be released. However, it causes memory leak since the commit relies on call of release_request() in drivers/firewire/core-cdev.c. Against the expectation, the function is never called due to the design of release_client_resource(). The function delegates release task to caller when called with non-NULL fourth argument. The implementation of ioctl_send_response() is the case. It should release the object explicitly. This commit fixes the bug.

How severe is CVE-2023-52989?

CVE-2023-52989 has a CVSS score of 5.5/10 (MEDIUM severity). The EPSS model estimates a 0.22% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

How do I fix CVE-2023-52989?

Check the vendor references and advisories linked above for patched versions and mitigation guidance. You can also run a Strix scan to test if your systems are affected.