# CVE-2023-53849: drm/msm: fix workqueue leak on bind errors

> A resource leak in the Linux kernel's DRM MSM driver can lead to memory exhaustion and denial of service during device binding errors.

- **Severity:** Not scored
- **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:** 9 Dec 2025
- **Updated:** 23 May 2026
- **Also known as:** BELL-CVE-2023-53849, DEBIAN-CVE-2023-53849, GHSA-qjg8-j726-37mh, ROOT-OS-DEBIAN-11-CVE-2023-53849, ROOT-OS-UBUNTU-2204-CVE-2023-53849, UBUNTU-CVE-2023-53849

## What is CVE-2023-53849?

CVE-2023-53849 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:

drm/msm: fix workqueue leak on bind errors

Make sure to destroy the workqueue also in case of early errors during
bind (e.g. a subcomponent failing to bind).

Since commit c3b790ea07a1 ("drm: Manage drm_mode_config_init with
drmm_") the mode config will be freed when the drm device is released
also when using the legacy interface, but add an explicit cleanup for
consistency and to facilitate backporting.

Patchwork: https://patchwork.freedesktop.org/patch/525093/

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2023-53849?


## How do I fix CVE-2023-53849?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2023-53849 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2023-53849 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2023-53849 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2023-53849 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.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2023-53849 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-2023-53849/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-53849/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2023-53849
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-53849
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2023-53849

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-53849/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.