Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
CVE-2023-37453 is a Linux kernel USB bug that can crash affected systems when USB descriptor handling goes wrong. The business impact is availability, not data theft, based on the supplied CVSS. Exploitation requires physical USB access, so urgency depends on whether untrusted devices can reach servers, workstations, kiosks, or virtualized USB paths.
Executive priority
Treat this as a targeted availability risk. Prioritize systems in public, shared, kiosk, lab, datacenter, or USB-passthrough environments. Routine server fleets with controlled physical access are lower urgency but should still receive normal kernel patching.
Technical view
The issue is an out-of-bounds read and crash in `read_descriptors` within `drivers/usb/core/sysfs.c` in the Linux kernel through 6.4.2. The CVSS vector is physical attack, low complexity, no privileges, no user interaction, unchanged scope, no confidentiality or integrity impact, and high availability impact.
Likely exposure
Exposure is most plausible on Linux systems through 6.4.2 where attackers or untrusted users can attach USB devices, or where USB devices are passed into guests or managed infrastructure. Internet-facing exposure is not indicated by the provided sources.
Exploitation context
The provided sources do not show CISA KEV listing or active exploitation. The risk is constrained by physical attack requirements, but a successful trigger may cause a kernel crash and service interruption without needing credentials.
Researcher notes
Evidence points to a syzkaller-discovered USB core crash involving descriptor reads. The supplied record lists CWE-125 and upstream kernel commit references, but not a full vendor matrix. Validate fixes through distribution backports rather than relying only on upstream version numbers.
Mitigation direction
- Check vendor kernel guidance and package advisories for CVE-2023-37453.
- Update affected Linux kernels or apply vendor backports containing the referenced upstream fixes.
- Restrict physical access to USB ports on sensitive systems.
- Disable or control unused USB device access where operationally feasible.
- Review USB passthrough policies for virtual machines and managed endpoints.
Validation and detection
- Inventory Linux systems running kernel versions through 6.4.2.
- Confirm vendor packages include fixes or backports for the referenced kernel commits.
- Identify systems where untrusted USB devices can be physically attached.
- Review recent kernel crash logs for USB subsystem failures.
- Document exceptions where USB access cannot be restricted.
Public sources used
Generated from the cited source records. This long-tail analysis has not been individually reviewed by a named human.
Conservative CVE-to-ATT&CK context
These mappings and lookup hints may be relevant to the vulnerability behavior, CWE, affected product, or exposure path. Glexia-inferred context is not an official MITRE, ATT&CK, CWE, or CVE Program mapping.
ATT&CK lookup starting points
Use these exact CWE pages and searches to review the Glexia ATT&CK library from this CVE's weakness and description context.
CWE-125: Exact CWE lookup
Use the exact CWE identifier as the starting point before reviewing related ATT&CK behavior. Open the exact CWE lookup page first, then review the ATT&CK searches from that MITRE weakness context. This is a Glexia lookup hint, not an official ATT&CK mapping.
Open ATT&CK lookupCVE-2023-37453 mapping review
Open the CVE-to-ATT&CK bridge for reviewed, inferred, or future official mappings tied to this CVE.
Open ATT&CK lookup- Severity
- Medium
- CVSS
- 4.6 (3.1)
- Known Exploited
- No
- Published
Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:P/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
CNA and ADP enrichment extracted from CVE v5
These fields come from the CVE record and ADP containers, not from Glexia's Take. They preserve time-varying source decisions such as CISA SSVC, KEV status, CVSS metrics, and provider references.
CVSS vector scores
1 official scoreWe collect every scored CVSS vector available in the official CNA and ADP containers. When more than one version is present, the table keeps the source vectors side by side instead of collapsing them into the highest score.
CVSS:3.1/AV:P/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H0.93.6Primary CVE scoreVulnerability scoring details
Base CVSS 3.1 score
4.6MediumVector: CVSS:3.1/AV:P/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
Source materials
- CVE List V5 sourceCVE List V5
- https://syzkaller.appspot.com/bug?extid=18996170f8096c6174d0CVE reference
- https://lore.kernel.org/all/000000000000c0ffe505fe86c9ca%40google.com/T/CVE reference
- https://lore.kernel.org/all/000000000000e56434059580f86e%40google.com/T/CVE reference
- https://git.kernel.org/cgit/linux/kernel/git/torvalds/linux.git/commit/?id=1e4c574225cc5a0553115e5eb5787d1474db5b0fCVE reference
- https://git.kernel.org/cgit/linux/kernel/git/torvalds/linux.git/commit/?id=85d07c55621676d47d873d2749b88f783cd4d5a1CVE reference
- https://git.kernel.org/cgit/linux/kernel/git/torvalds/linux.git/commit/?id=de28e469da75359a2bb8cd8778b78aa64b1be1f4CVE reference
- https://git.kernel.org/cgit/linux/kernel/git/torvalds/linux.git/commit/?id=ff33299ec8bb80cdcc073ad9c506bd79bb2ed20bCVE reference
Products and packages named in the record
CWE details
CWE links open Glexia weakness intelligence pages with official CWE context, developer remediation guidance, and related CVE mappings.
Out-of-bounds Read
Out-of-bounds Read represents a recurring weakness pattern that can create exploitable paths when design, validation, or implementation controls are missing.