CVE-2023-53648 ALSA: ac97: Fix possible NULL dereference in snd_ac97_mixer
A NULL pointer dereference in the Linux kernel ALSA AC97 mixer 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-2023-53648?
CVE-2023-53648 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 7 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:
ALSA: ac97: Fix possible NULL dereference in snd_ac97_mixer
smatch error: sound/pci/ac97/ac97_codec.c:2354 snd_ac97_mixer() error: we previously assumed 'rac97' could be null (see line 2072)
remove redundant assignment, return error if rac97 is NULL.
Weakness: CWE-476
Which versions are affected by CVE-2023-53648?
It affects 1 product.
Products include Linux kernel.
How do I fix CVE-2023-53648?
Apply the vendor's patch.
Is CVE-2023-53648 being exploited?
There is no known exploitation of CVE-2023-53648 in the wild and no public exploit code.
Other vulnerabilities in Linux kernel
Sources
Also known as BELL-CVE-2023-53648, DEBIAN-CVE-2023-53648, GHSA-523c-3cg7-7hhv, UBUNTU-CVE-2023-53648.