CVE-2023-53206 hwmon: (pmbus_core) Fix NULL pointer dereference

Medium 5.5 Published Updated

A NULL pointer dereference in the Linux kernel's pmbus_core driver can cause a system crash, requiring a kernel patch.

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-2023-53206?

CVE-2023-53206 is a medium-severity 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:

hwmon: (pmbus_core) Fix NULL pointer dereference

Pass i2c_client to _pmbus_is_enabled to drop the assumption that a regulator device is passed in.

This will fix the issue of a NULL pointer dereference when called from _pmbus_get_flags.

Weakness: CWE-476

Which versions are affected by CVE-2023-53206?

It affects 1 product.

Products include Linux kernel.

How do I fix CVE-2023-53206?

Apply the vendor's patch.

Is CVE-2023-53206 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2023-53206 in the wild and no public exploit code.

All Linux kernel vulnerabilities

Sources

Also known as BELL-CVE-2023-53206, DEBIAN-CVE-2023-53206, GHSA-px5w-pf7q-23jq, UBUNTU-CVE-2023-53206.

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