CVE-2023-53195 mlxsw: minimal: fix potential memory leak in mlxsw_m_linecards_init
A memory leak in the mlxsw minimal driver allows attackers to exhaust kernel memory, potentially causing a denial of service.
- 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
What is CVE-2023-53195?
CVE-2023-53195 is a medium-severity denial of service 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:
mlxsw: minimal: fix potential memory leak in mlxsw_m_linecards_init
The line cards array is not freed in the error path of mlxsw_m_linecards_init(), which can lead to a memory leak. Fix by freeing the array in the error path, thereby making the error path identical to mlxsw_m_linecards_fini().
Weakness: CWE-401
Which versions are affected by CVE-2023-53195?
It affects 1 product.
Products include Linux kernel.
How do I fix CVE-2023-53195?
Apply the vendor's patch.
Upgrade, then put limits on request size, rate and nesting depth so one client cannot exhaust the service. More about Denial of service.
Is CVE-2023-53195 being exploited?
There is no known exploitation of CVE-2023-53195 in the wild and no public exploit code.
Other vulnerabilities in Linux kernel
Sources
Also known as BELL-CVE-2023-53195, DEBIAN-CVE-2023-53195, GHSA-hvpq-w3pm-9wfj, UBUNTU-CVE-2023-53195.