Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
CVE-2023-47233 is a Linux kernel use-after-free in the Broadcom brcm80211 wireless component during USB device unplug handling. The practical concern is local denial of service: a physically proximate attacker with local access may be able to crash or disrupt affected systems. It is not listed in KEV, and the provided sources do not show active exploitation.
Executive priority
Handle through normal patch management, with higher priority for laptops, kiosks, industrial workstations, or field systems where local physical access is realistic. This is not a remote network compromise signal, but an unpatched local availability issue can still disrupt operations.
Technical view
The flaw is a CWE-416 use-after-free in brcmf_cfg80211_detach, related to brcmf_cfg80211_escan_timeout_worker in drivers/net/wireless/broadcom/brcm80211/brcmfmac/cfg80211.c. CVSS 3.1 is 4.3 with physical attack vector, low complexity, low privileges, no user interaction, and high availability impact. Linux kernels through 6.5.10 are described as affected.
Likely exposure
Exposure is most plausible on Linux systems using the brcm80211/brcmfmac Broadcom wireless driver where an attacker can gain local physical proximity or local access to trigger USB hotplug behavior. Cloud-only workloads and servers without this driver or accessible wireless USB hardware are less likely exposed.
Exploitation context
The CVE record says physically proximate attackers with local access could exploit this in a real-world scenario. The provided evidence does not include public exploitation, weaponized tooling, or CISA KEV listing. Treat this primarily as an availability risk requiring physical/local conditions.
Researcher notes
Evidence points to a kernel memory-lifetime bug fixed upstream and later carried by distribution advisories. The source bundle does not provide a complete affected product matrix beyond Linux kernel scope and selected vendor advisories. Validate exposure against actual kernel builds and driver usage, not only kernel version.
Mitigation direction
- Update affected Linux kernels using distribution or vendor security packages.
- Prioritize kernels through 6.5.10 running brcm80211 or brcmfmac.
- Apply vendor fixes that include Linux commit 0f7352557a35ab7888bc7831411ec8a3cbe20d78.
- Restrict physical and USB access on systems awaiting kernel updates.
- Disable unused Broadcom wireless hardware or drivers where operationally acceptable.
- Track Debian, SUSE, Siemens, and OS vendor advisories for product-specific guidance.
Validation and detection
- Inventory Linux kernel versions and identify systems at or below 6.5.10.
- Check whether brcm80211 or brcmfmac is present, loaded, or required.
- Confirm installed kernel packages include the vendor fix for CVE-2023-47233.
- Review endpoint classes where users or attackers can physically access USB devices.
- Verify compensating physical controls for systems that cannot be patched promptly.
- Document unsupported kernels requiring upgrade or retirement.
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-416: 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-2023-47233 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
- 4.3 (3.1)
- Known Exploited
- No
- Published
Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:P/AC:L/PR:L/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.
SSVC decision data
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:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H0.73.6CISA-ADPVulnerability scoring details
Base CVSS 3.1 score
4.3MediumVector: CVSS:3.1/AV:P/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
Vulnerability timeline
Timeline events are normalized from CVE metadata, CNA source timelines, ADP timelines, and KEV metadata when present.
- CVE publishedCVE Program
The CVE record was published.
- CVE reservedCVE Program
The CVE ID was reserved by the assigning CNA.
- CVE updatedCVE Program
The CVE record metadata indicates this as the latest update time.
ADP provider summaries
Source materials
- CVE List V5 sourceCVE List V5
- https://bugzilla.suse.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1216702CVE reference, mitre
- https://marc.info/?l=linux-kernel&m=169907678011243&w=2CVE reference, mitre
- https://lore.kernel.org/all/20231104054709.716585-1-zyytlz.wz%40163.com/CVE reference, mitre
- https://git.kernel.org/cgit/linux/kernel/git/torvalds/linux.git/commit/?id=0f7352557a35ab7888bc7831411ec8a3cbe20d78CVE reference, mitre
- [debian-lts-announce] 20240625 [SECURITY] [DLA 3842-1] linux-5.10 security updateCVE reference, mitre · mailing-list
- [debian-lts-announce] 20240627 [SECURITY] [DLA 3840-1] linux security updateCVE reference, mitre · mailing-list
- https://cert-portal.siemens.com/productcert/html/ssa-265688.htmlCVE reference, siemens-SADP
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.
Use After Free
Use After Free represents a recurring weakness pattern that can create exploitable paths when design, validation, or implementation controls are missing.