CVE-2023-53854: In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: ASoC: mediatek: mt8186: Fix use-after-free in driver remove path When devm runs ...

Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: ASoC: mediatek: mt8186: Fix use-after-free in driver remove path When devm runs function in the "remove" path for a device it runs them in the reverse order. That means that if you have parts of your driver that aren't using devm or are using "roll your own" devm w/ devm_add_action_or_reset() you need to keep that in mind. The mt8186 audio driver didn't quite get this right. Specifically, in mt8186_init_clock() it called mt8186_audsys_clk_register() and then went on to call a bunch of other devm function. The caller of mt8186_init_clock() used devm_add_action_or_reset() to call mt8186_deinit_clock() but, because of the intervening devm functions, the order was wrong. Specifically at probe time, the order was: 1. mt8186_audsys_clk_register() 2. afe_priv->clk = devm_kcalloc(...) 3. afe_priv->clk[i] = devm_clk_get(...) At remove time, the order (which should have been 3, 2, 1) was: 1. mt8186_audsys_clk_unregister() 3. Free all of afe_priv->clk[i] 2. Free afe_priv->clk The above seemed to be causing a use-after-free. Luckily, it's easy to fix this by simply using devm more correctly. Let's move the devm_add_action_or_reset() to the right place. In addition to fixing the use-after-free, code inspection shows that this fixes a leak (missing call to mt8186_audsys_clk_unregister()) that would have happened if any of the syscon_regmap_lookup_by_phandle() calls in mt8186_init_clock() had failed.

Metrics

EPSS Probability

0.18%

8.2th percentile

Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days. Learn more

Affected Software

Source: CNA advisory (CVE.org). NVD analysis pending.

Vendor	Product	Versions
Linux	Linux	>= 55b423d5623ccd6785429431c2cf5f3e073b73ba, < 3e56a1c04882852e3e7d6c59756a16211ebbc457; >= 55b423d5623ccd6785429431c2cf5f3e073b73ba, < dffd9e2b57cb845930fa885aa634a847ba2130dd; >= 55b423d5623ccd6785429431c2cf5f3e073b73ba, < a93d2afd3f77a7331271a0f25c6a11003db69b3c
Linux	Linux	6.0

References

Timeline

Published: Dec 9, 2025
Last Modified: Jun 17, 2026
Status: Deferred

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2023-53854?

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: ASoC: mediatek: mt8186: Fix use-after-free in driver remove path When devm runs function in the "remove" path for a device it runs them in the reverse order. That means that if you have parts of your driver that aren't using devm or are using "roll your own" devm w/ devm_add_action_or_reset() you need to keep that in mind. The mt8186 audio driver didn't quite get this right. Specifically, in mt8186_init_clock() it called mt8186_audsys_clk_register() and then went on to call a bunch of other devm function. The caller of mt8186_init_clock() used devm_add_action_or_reset() to call mt8186_deinit_clock() but, because of the intervening devm functions, the order was wrong. Specifically at probe time, the order was: 1. mt8186_audsys_clk_register() 2. afe_priv->clk = devm_kcalloc(...) 3. afe_priv->clk[i] = devm_clk_get(...) At remove time, the order (which should have been 3, 2, 1) was: 1. mt8186_audsys_clk_unregister() 3. Free all of afe_priv->clk[i] 2. Free afe_priv->clk The above seemed to be causing a use-after-free. Luckily, it's easy to fix this by simply using devm more correctly. Let's move the devm_add_action_or_reset() to the right place. In addition to fixing the use-after-free, code inspection shows that this fixes a leak (missing call to mt8186_audsys_clk_unregister()) that would have happened if any of the syscon_regmap_lookup_by_phandle() calls in mt8186_init_clock() had failed.

How severe is CVE-2023-53854?

Severity scoring for CVE-2023-53854 is pending analysis. The EPSS model estimates a 0.18% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

How do I fix CVE-2023-53854?

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.

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