CVE-2023-53479 cxl/acpi: Fix a use-after-free in cxl_parse_cfmws()

What is CVE-2023-53479?

CVE-2023-53479 is a high-severity use after free vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 1 Oct 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:

cxl/acpi: Fix a use-after-free in cxl_parse_cfmws()

KASAN and KFENCE detected an user-after-free in the CXL driver. This happens in the cxl_decoder_add() fail path. KASAN prints the following error:

BUG: KASAN: slab-use-after-free in cxl_parse_cfmws (drivers/cxl/acpi.c:299)

This happens in cxl_parse_cfmws(), where put_device() is called, releasing cxld, which is accessed later.

Use the local variables in the dev_err() instead of pointing to the released memory. Since the dev_err() is printing a resource, change the open coded print format to use the %pr format specifier.

Weakness: CWE-416

Which versions are affected by CVE-2023-53479?

It affects 1 product.

Products include Linux kernel.

How do I fix CVE-2023-53479?

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-2023-53479 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2023-53479 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-2023-53479, DEBIAN-CVE-2023-53479, GHSA-mfgv-xhqx-f8x7, UBUNTU-CVE-2023-53479.