CVE-2023-53546 net/mlx5: DR, fix memory leak in mlx5dr_cmd_create_reformat_ctx
A memory leak in the Linux kernel's mlx5 driver allows attackers to cause a denial of service by triggering failed command executions.
- 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-2023-53546?
CVE-2023-53546 is a medium-severity denial of service vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 4 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:
net/mlx5: DR, fix memory leak in mlx5dr_cmd_create_reformat_ctx
when mlx5_cmd_exec failed in mlx5dr_cmd_create_reformat_ctx, the memory pointed by 'in' is not released, which will cause memory leak. Move memory release after mlx5_cmd_exec.
Weakness: CWE-401
Which versions are affected by CVE-2023-53546?
It affects 1 product.
Products include Linux kernel.
How do I fix CVE-2023-53546?
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-2023-53546 being exploited?
There is no known exploitation of CVE-2023-53546 in the wild and no public exploit code.
Other vulnerabilities in Linux kernel
Sources
Also known as BELL-CVE-2023-53546, DEBIAN-CVE-2023-53546, GHSA-98xf-q5m7-hgc7, UBUNTU-CVE-2023-53546.