# CVE-2023-54053: wifi: iwlwifi: pcie: fix possible NULL pointer dereference

> A local attacker can cause a kernel crash in the iwlwifi driver by triggering a NULL pointer dereference during device removal after a failed probe.

- **Severity:** Not scored
- **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:** Yes
- **Published:** 24 Dec 2025
- **Updated:** 11 May 2026
- **Also known as:** BELL-CVE-2023-54053, DEBIAN-CVE-2023-54053, GHSA-fp97-j955-wgw4, UBUNTU-CVE-2023-54053

## What is CVE-2023-54053?

CVE-2023-54053 is a vulnerability in Linux, published on 24 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:

wifi: iwlwifi: pcie: fix possible NULL pointer dereference

It is possible that iwl_pci_probe() will fail and free the trans,
then afterwards iwl_pci_remove() will be called and crash by trying
to access trans which is already freed, fix it.

iwlwifi 0000:01:00.0: Detected crf-id 0xa5a5a5a2, cnv-id 0xa5a5a5a2
		      wfpm id 0xa5a5a5a2
iwlwifi 0000:01:00.0: Can't find a correct rfid for crf id 0x5a2
...
BUG: kernel NULL pointer dereference, address: 0000000000000028
...
RIP: 0010:iwl_pci_remove+0x12/0x30 [iwlwifi]
pci_device_remove+0x3e/0xb0
device_release_driver_internal+0x103/0x1f0
driver_detach+0x4c/0x90
bus_remove_driver+0x5c/0xd0
driver_unregister+0x31/0x50
pci_unregister_driver+0x40/0x90
iwl_pci_unregister_driver+0x15/0x20 [iwlwifi]
__exit_compat+0x9/0x98 [iwlwifi]
__x64_sys_delete_module+0x147/0x260

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2023-54053?


## How do I fix CVE-2023-54053?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2023-54053 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2023-54053 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2023-54053 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2023-54053 is a vulnerability in Linux, published on 24 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-2023-54053 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-2023-54053/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-54053/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2023-54053
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-54053
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2023-54053

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-54053/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.