CVE-2023-53818 ARM: zynq: Fix refcount leak in zynq_early_slcr_init
A refcount leak in the ARM Zynq early SLCR initialization can lead to resource exhaustion and denial of service.
- Exploited in the wild
- Not known
- Login needed
- Not needed
- Attackable
- Local or same network only
- Victim action needed
- Not needed
- Fix
- Available
What is CVE-2023-53818?
CVE-2023-53818 is a denial of service vulnerability in Linux, published on 9 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:
ARM: zynq: Fix refcount leak in zynq_early_slcr_init
of_find_compatible_node() returns a node pointer with refcount incremented, we should use of_node_put() on error path. Add missing of_node_put() to avoid refcount leak.
Which versions are affected by CVE-2023-53818?
How do I fix CVE-2023-53818?
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-2023-53818 being exploited?
There is no known exploitation of CVE-2023-53818 in the wild and no public exploit code.
Sources
Also known as BELL-CVE-2023-53818, DEBIAN-CVE-2023-53818, GHSA-qw6q-8fw7-j594, UBUNTU-CVE-2023-53818.