CVE-2023-53527 thunderbolt: Fix memory leak in tb_handle_dp_bandwidth_request()

Medium 5.5 Published Updated

A memory leak in the Linux kernel Thunderbolt driver allows attackers to cause a denial of service by exhausting system memory.

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-2023-53527?

CVE-2023-53527 is a medium-severity denial of service 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:

thunderbolt: Fix memory leak in tb_handle_dp_bandwidth_request()

The memory allocated in tb_queue_dp_bandwidth_request() needs to be released once the request is handled to avoid leaking it.

Weakness: CWE-401

Which versions are affected by CVE-2023-53527?

It affects 1 product.

Products include Linux kernel.

How do I fix CVE-2023-53527?

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-2023-53527 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2023-53527 in the wild and no public exploit code.

All Linux kernel vulnerabilities

Sources

Also known as BELL-CVE-2023-53527, DEBIAN-CVE-2023-53527, GHSA-qwjg-7mjq-fhh3, UBUNTU-CVE-2023-53527.

Is CVE-2023-53527 in your software?

Upload an SBOM and sbomify checks it against every vulnerability here, every day.

Check your SBOMs for free