# CVE-2023-53762: Bluetooth: hci_sync: Fix UAF in hci_disconnect_all_sync

> A use-after-free vulnerability in the Linux kernel Bluetooth subsystem allows attackers to cause a system crash or potentially execute arbitrary code.

- **Severity:** High 8.8 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:A/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Not needed
- **Attackable:** Local or same network only
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** Yes
- **Published:** 8 Dec 2025
- **Updated:** 3 Oct 2026
- **Also known as:** BELL-CVE-2023-53762, DEBIAN-CVE-2023-53762, GHSA-v6x6-vgmm-x298, ROOT-OS-DEBIAN-12-CVE-2023-53762, UBUNTU-CVE-2023-53762

## What is CVE-2023-53762?

CVE-2023-53762 is a high-severity use after free vulnerability in Linux, published on 8 Dec 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:

Bluetooth: hci_sync: Fix UAF in hci_disconnect_all_sync

Use-after-free can occur in hci_disconnect_all_sync if a connection is
deleted by concurrent processing of a controller event.

To prevent this the code now tries to iterate over the list backwards
to ensure the links are cleanup before its parents, also it no longer
relies on a cursor, instead it always uses the last element since
hci_abort_conn_sync is guaranteed to call hci_conn_del.

UAF crash log:
==================================================================
BUG: KASAN: slab-use-after-free in hci_set_powered_sync
(net/bluetooth/hci_sync.c:5424) [bluetooth]
Read of size 8 at addr ffff888009d9c000 by task kworker/u9:0/124

CPU: 0 PID: 124 Comm: kworker/u9:0 Tainted: G        W
6.5.0-rc1+ #10
Hardware name: QEMU Standard PC (Q35 + ICH9, 2009), BIOS
1.16.2-1.fc38 04/01/2014
Workqueue: hci0 hci_cmd_sync_work [bluetooth]
Call Trace:
 <TASK>
 dump_stack_lvl+0x5b/0x90
 print_report+0xcf/0x670
 ? __virt_addr_valid+0xdd/0x160
 ? hci_set_powered_sync+0x2c9/0x4a0 [bluetooth]
 kasan_report+0xa6/0xe0
 ? hci_set_powered_sync+0x2c9/0x4a0 [bluetooth]
 ? __pfx_set_powered_sync+0x10/0x10 [bluetooth]
 hci_set_powered_sync+0x2c9/0x4a0 [bluetooth]
 ? __pfx_hci_set_powered_sync+0x10/0x10 [bluetooth]
 ? __pfx_lock_release+0x10/0x10
 ? __pfx_set_powered_sync+0x10/0x10 [bluetooth]
 hci_cmd_sync_work+0x137/0x220 [bluetooth]
 process_one_work+0x526/0x9d0
 ? __pfx_process_one_work+0x10/0x10
 ? __pfx_do_raw_spin_lock+0x10/0x10
 ? mark_held_locks+0x1a/0x90
 worker_thread+0x92/0x630
 ? __pfx_worker_thread+0x10/0x10
 kthread+0x196/0x1e0
 ? __pfx_kthread+0x10/0x10
 ret_from_fork+0x2c/0x50
 </TASK>

Allocated by task 1782:
 kasan_save_stack+0x33/0x60
 kasan_set_track+0x25/0x30
 __kasan_kmalloc+0x8f/0xa0
 hci_conn_add+0xa5/0xa80 [bluetooth]
 hci_bind_cis+0x881/0x9b0 [bluetooth]
 iso_connect_cis+0x121/0x520 [bluetooth]
 iso_sock_connect+0x3f6/0x790 [bluetooth]
 __sys_connect+0x109/0x130
 __x64_sys_connect+0x40/0x50
 do_syscall_64+0x60/0x90
 entry_SYSCALL_64_after_hwframe+0x6e/0xd8

Freed by task 695:
 kasan_save_stack+0x33/0x60
 kasan_set_track+0x25/0x30
 kasan_save_free_info+0x2b/0x50
 __kasan_slab_free+0x10a/0x180
 __kmem_cache_free+0x14d/0x2e0
 device_release+0x5d/0xf0
 kobject_put+0xdf/0x270
 hci_disconn_complete_evt+0x274/0x3a0 [bluetooth]
 hci_event_packet+0x579/0x7e0 [bluetooth]
 hci_rx_work+0x287/0xaa0 [bluetooth]
 process_one_work+0x526/0x9d0
 worker_thread+0x92/0x630
 kthread+0x196/0x1e0
 ret_from_fork+0x2c/0x50
==================================================================

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2023-53762?


## How do I fix CVE-2023-53762?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2023-53762 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2023-53762 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2023-53762 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2023-53762 is a high-severity use after free vulnerability in Linux, published on 8 Dec 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-2023-53762 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: Linux. 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-2023-53762/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-53762/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2023-53762
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-53762
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2023-53762

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-53762/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.