# CVE-2023-52703: net/usb: kalmia: Don't pass act_len in usb_bulk_msg error path

> An uninitialized variable in the Kalmia USB driver can cause a kernel crash when handling USB bulk message errors, leading to denial of service.

- **Severity:** Low 3.3 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:L`)
- **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:** 21 May 2024
- **Updated:** 11 May 2026
- **Also known as:** BELL-CVE-2023-52703, DEBIAN-CVE-2023-52703, GHSA-hcvq-7hmv-2q86, UBUNTU-CVE-2023-52703

## What is CVE-2023-52703?

CVE-2023-52703 is a low-severity vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 21 May 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:

net/usb: kalmia: Don't pass act_len in usb_bulk_msg error path

syzbot reported that act_len in kalmia_send_init_packet() is
uninitialized when passing it to the first usb_bulk_msg error path. Jiri
Pirko noted that it's pointless to pass it in the error path, and that
the value that would be printed in the second error path would be the
value of act_len from the first call to usb_bulk_msg.[1]

With this in mind, let's just not pass act_len to the usb_bulk_msg error
paths.

1: https://lore.kernel.org/lkml/Y9pY61y1nwTuzMOa@nanopsycho/

Weakness: CWE-908 (Use of Uninitialized Resource)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2023-52703?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Linux kernel.

## How do I fix CVE-2023-52703?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2023-52703 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2023-52703 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-2023-52703 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2023-52703 is a low-severity vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 21 May 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-2023-52703 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-2023-52703/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-52703/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2023-52703
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-52703
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2023-52703

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-52703/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.