CVE-2023-53153 wifi: cfg80211: Fix use after free for wext

What is CVE-2023-53153?

CVE-2023-53153 is a high-severity use after free vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 15 Sep 2025. 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: cfg80211: Fix use after free for wext

Key information in wext.connect is not reset on (re)connect and can hold data from a previous connection.

Reset key data to avoid that drivers or mac80211 incorrectly detect a WEP connection request and access the freed or already reused memory.

Additionally optimize cfg80211_sme_connect() and avoid an useless schedule of conn_work.

Weakness: CWE-416

Which versions are affected by CVE-2023-53153?

It affects 1 product.

Products include Linux kernel.

How do I fix CVE-2023-53153?

Apply the vendor's patch.

Upgrade to the fixed version. These bugs are found with fuzzing and sanitisers and avoided by memory-safe languages. More about Use after free.

Is CVE-2023-53153 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2023-53153 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Other vulnerabilities in Linux kernel

• CVE-2026-53266 Linux Kernel Out-of-Bounds Write Exploited High 8.8
• CVE-2013-6282 Linux Kernel Improper Input Validation Exploited High 8.8
• CVE-2022-0185 Linux Kernel Heap-Based Buffer Overflow Exploited High 8.4
• CVE-2013-2094 Linux Kernel Privilege Escalation Exploited High 8.4
• CVE-2026-53362 Linux Kernel Unspecified Exploited High 7.8

All Linux kernel vulnerabilities

Sources

• CVE record
• NVD
• OSV
• GitHub advisory
• How this page is made

Also known as BELL-CVE-2023-53153, DEBIAN-CVE-2023-53153, GHSA-mmx3-2qhv-f4x6, UBUNTU-CVE-2023-53153.