Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
CVE-2023-52446 is a Linux kernel memory safety flaw in the BPF subsystem. A local low-privileged attacker could potentially trigger a use-after-free race and gain serious impact on confidentiality, integrity, and availability. The source record says the issue is resolved upstream, but exact downstream vendor exposure must be verified per kernel build.
Executive priority
Treat this as high priority for Linux fleets where local users, developers, containers, or hosted workloads share systems. There is no cited evidence of active exploitation, so this is urgent patch management rather than emergency incident response based on the supplied sources.
Technical view
The bug is a race between btf_put() and deferred map_free() handling. The reported KASAN trace shows a slab use-after-free in bpf_rb_root_free() while freeing BPF map fields tied to BTF metadata. The CVE is CWE-416 with CVSS 3.1 score 7.8 and vector AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H.
Likely exposure
Exposure is limited to Linux systems running affected kernel versions with reachable BPF functionality. The provided record lists Linux kernel 6.2 and later affected entries, including 6.6.14, 6.7.2, and 6.8, but downstream distro backports may differ. Prioritize servers, developer workstations, containers hosts, and multi-user systems.
Exploitation context
The supplied sources do not show CISA KEV listing or confirmed active exploitation. The CVSS vector indicates local, low-privilege, no-user-interaction exploitation potential. The public description comes from kernel testing with KASAN, not from an observed attack report.
Researcher notes
The strongest evidence is the kernel commit narrative and KASAN trace showing use-after-free during BPF map cleanup. The source bundle does not provide exploitability analysis beyond CVSS, nor downstream vendor status. Validate against exact kernel source or vendor changelog rather than version strings alone.
Mitigation direction
- Update to a vendor kernel containing the referenced upstream stable fixes.
- Check distribution advisories for backported fixes before relying on upstream version numbers.
- Reduce unnecessary local shell access on shared Linux systems.
- Review BPF hardening settings where operationally feasible.
- Prioritize patching multi-user and container-host Linux systems.
Validation and detection
- Inventory Linux kernel versions across servers, workstations, and container hosts.
- Map each kernel package to its vendor advisory or backport status.
- Confirm whether deployed kernels include the referenced stable commits.
- Review local accounts and workloads with access to BPF-related kernel interfaces.
- Track this CVE in vulnerability management until vendor-fixed kernels are deployed.
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-2023-52446 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
- High
- CVSS
- 7.8 (3.1)
- Known Exploited
- No
- Published
Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/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:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H1.85.9Primary CVE scoreVulnerability scoring details
Base CVSS 3.1 score
7.8HighVector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Source materials
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.