# CVE-2023-52462: bpf: fix check for attempt to corrupt spilled pointer

> A flaw in the Linux kernel BPF subsystem allows attackers to cause a denial of service via a null pointer dereference when handling spilled registers.

- **Severity:** Medium 5.5 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Any signed-in user
- **Attackable:** Local or same network only
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** Yes
- **Published:** 23 Feb 2024
- **Updated:** 23 May 2026
- **Also known as:** BELL-CVE-2023-52462, DEBIAN-CVE-2023-52462, GHSA-8xf7-6cv9-64f7, UBUNTU-CVE-2023-52462

## What is CVE-2023-52462?

CVE-2023-52462 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 23 Feb 2024. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:

bpf: fix check for attempt to corrupt spilled pointer

When register is spilled onto a stack as a 1/2/4-byte register, we set
slot_type[BPF_REG_SIZE - 1] (plus potentially few more below it,
depending on actual spill size). So to check if some stack slot has
spilled register we need to consult slot_type[7], not slot_type[0].

To avoid the need to remember and double-check this in the future, just
use is_spilled_reg() helper.

Weakness: CWE-476 (NULL Pointer Dereference)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2023-52462?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Linux kernel.

## How do I fix CVE-2023-52462?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2023-52462 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2023-52462 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in Linux kernel

- [CVE-2026-53266](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-53266/): Linux Kernel Out-of-Bounds Write (high 8.8, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2013-6282](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2013-6282/): Linux Kernel Improper Input Validation (high 8.8, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2022-0185](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2022-0185/): Linux Kernel Heap-Based Buffer Overflow (high 8.4, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2013-2094](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2013-2094/): Linux Kernel Privilege Escalation (high 8.4, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2026-53362](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-53362/): Linux Kernel Unspecified (high 7.8, exploited in the wild)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2023-52462 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2023-52462 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 23 Feb 2024. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2023-52462 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: Linux kernel. No package-level version data is available, so check the vendor advisory linked from the reference page.

Task:
1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies.
2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it.
3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead.
4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why.
5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing.

Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-52462/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-52462/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2023-52462
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-52462
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2023-52462

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-52462/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.