# CVE-2023-52767: tls: fix NULL deref on tls_sw_splice_eof() with empty record

> A NULL pointer dereference in the Linux kernel TLS module allows local attackers to cause a system crash via sendfile operations with empty records.

- **Severity:** Medium 5.5 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/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:** 21 May 2024
- **Updated:** 11 May 2026
- **Also known as:** BELL-CVE-2023-52767, DEBIAN-CVE-2023-52767, GHSA-vr35-f6m3-rh89, UBUNTU-CVE-2023-52767

## What is CVE-2023-52767?

CVE-2023-52767 is a medium-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:

tls: fix NULL deref on tls_sw_splice_eof() with empty record

syzkaller discovered that if tls_sw_splice_eof() is executed as part of
sendfile() when the plaintext/ciphertext sk_msg are empty, the send path
gets confused because the empty ciphertext buffer does not have enough
space for the encryption overhead. This causes tls_push_record() to go on
the `split = true` path (which is only supposed to be used when interacting
with an attached BPF program), and then get further confused and hit the
tls_merge_open_record() path, which then assumes that there must be at
least one populated buffer element, leading to a NULL deref.

It is possible to have empty plaintext/ciphertext buffers if we previously
bailed from tls_sw_sendmsg_locked() via the tls_trim_both_msgs() path.
tls_sw_push_pending_record() already handles this case correctly; let's do
the same check in tls_sw_splice_eof().

Weakness: CWE-476 (NULL Pointer Dereference)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2023-52767?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Linux kernel.

## How do I fix CVE-2023-52767?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2023-52767 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2023-52767 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-2023-52767 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2023-52767 is a medium-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-2023-52767 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-2023-52767/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-52767/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2023-52767
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-52767
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2023-52767

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-52767/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.