# CVE-2023-53480: kobject: Add sanity check for kset->kobj.ktype in kset_register()

> A missing sanity check in the Linux kernel allows a null pointer dereference during kset registration, potentially causing a system crash.

- **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:** 1 Oct 2025
- **Updated:** 11 May 2026
- **Also known as:** BELL-CVE-2023-53480, DEBIAN-CVE-2023-53480, GHSA-8xg4-jw8q-mm7v, UBUNTU-CVE-2023-53480

## What is CVE-2023-53480?

CVE-2023-53480 is a medium-severity 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:

kobject: Add sanity check for kset->kobj.ktype in kset_register()

When I register a kset in the following way:
	static struct kset my_kset;
	kobject_set_name(&my_kset.kobj, "my_kset");
        ret = kset_register(&my_kset);

A null pointer dereference exception is occurred:
[ 4453.568337] Unable to handle kernel NULL pointer dereference at \
virtual address 0000000000000028
... ...
[ 4453.810361] Call trace:
[ 4453.813062]  kobject_get_ownership+0xc/0x34
[ 4453.817493]  kobject_add_internal+0x98/0x274
[ 4453.822005]  kset_register+0x5c/0xb4
[ 4453.825820]  my_kobj_init+0x44/0x1000 [my_kset]
... ...

Because I didn't initialize my_kset.kobj.ktype.

According to the description in Documentation/core-api/kobject.rst:
 - A ktype is the type of object that embeds a kobject.  Every structure
   that embeds a kobject needs a corresponding ktype.

So add sanity check to make sure kset->kobj.ktype is not NULL.

Weakness: CWE-476 (NULL Pointer Dereference)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2023-53480?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Linux kernel.

## How do I fix CVE-2023-53480?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2023-53480 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2023-53480 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-2023-53480 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2023-53480 is a medium-severity 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.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2023-53480 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-2023-53480/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-53480/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2023-53480
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-53480
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2023-53480

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-53480/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.