# CVE-2023-52531: wifi: iwlwifi: mvm: Fix a memory corruption issue

> A pointer arithmetic error in the iwlwifi driver causes memory corruption, potentially allowing local attackers to execute code or escalate privileges.

- **Severity:** High 7.8 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H`)
- **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:** 2 Mar 2024
- **Updated:** 11 May 2026
- **Also known as:** BELL-CVE-2023-52531, DEBIAN-CVE-2023-52531, GHSA-mvcc-fjcm-33jm, ROOT-OS-DEBIAN-11-CVE-2023-52531, UBUNTU-CVE-2023-52531

## What is CVE-2023-52531?

CVE-2023-52531 is a high-severity memory corruption vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 2 Mar 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:

wifi: iwlwifi: mvm: Fix a memory corruption issue

A few lines above, space is kzalloc()'ed for:
	sizeof(struct iwl_nvm_data) +
	sizeof(struct ieee80211_channel) +
	sizeof(struct ieee80211_rate)

'mvm->nvm_data' is a 'struct iwl_nvm_data', so it is fine.

At the end of this structure, there is the 'channels' flex array.
Each element is of type 'struct ieee80211_channel'.
So only 1 element is allocated in this array.

When doing:
  mvm->nvm_data->bands[0].channels = mvm->nvm_data->channels;
We point at the first element of the 'channels' flex array.
So this is fine.

However, when doing:
  mvm->nvm_data->bands[0].bitrates =
			(void *)((u8 *)mvm->nvm_data->channels + 1);
because of the "(u8 *)" cast, we add only 1 to the address of the beginning
of the flex array.

It is likely that we want point at the 'struct ieee80211_rate' allocated
just after.

Remove the spurious casting so that the pointer arithmetic works as
expected.

Weakness: CWE-787 (Out-of-bounds Write)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2023-52531?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Linux kernel.

## How do I fix CVE-2023-52531?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2023-52531 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2023-52531 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-2023-52531 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2023-52531 is a high-severity memory corruption vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 2 Mar 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-2023-52531 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-2023-52531/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-52531/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2023-52531
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-52531
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2023-52531

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-52531/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.