Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
This is a Linux kernel denial-of-service issue in PowerPC PowerNV power-management code. A failed memory allocation can lead to a null pointer dereference, potentially crashing affected systems. The business impact is availability, not data theft or privilege escalation based on the supplied sources.
Executive priority
Treat as a targeted high-priority availability risk for PowerPC PowerNV Linux estates. For organizations without that platform, urgency is lower but inventory confirmation is still needed.
Technical view
In opal_powercap_init(), kasprintf() can return NULL on allocation failure. The vulnerable code lacked a NULL check before later use, mapping to CWE-476. The Linux stable references appear to add the missing check across supported branches.
Likely exposure
Exposure appears limited to affected Linux kernel versions on PowerPC PowerNV systems using this OPAL powercap path. The supplied source bundle does not provide CPEs or evidence that generic x86 Linux deployments are affected.
Exploitation context
CISA KEV status is false, and the supplied sources do not report active exploitation or a public exploit. CVSS 3.1 is 7.5 with high availability impact, but trigger conditions are not fully described in the bundle.
Researcher notes
The evidence supports a null pointer dereference fix, not code execution. The affected-version data is sparse and partly commit-oriented, so branch-level validation should rely on vendor advisories and the referenced stable commits.
Mitigation direction
- Identify PowerPC PowerNV systems and their running kernel versions.
- Apply vendor kernel updates containing the referenced stable fixes.
- Prioritize internet-facing or availability-critical systems if affected.
- Check Debian LTS guidance if running Debian-packaged kernels.
- Monitor vendor advisories for branch-specific fixed versions.
Validation and detection
- Confirm kernel version and architecture for Linux assets.
- Check whether systems use PowerPC PowerNV platform support.
- Map installed kernels against vendor fixed packages or stable commits.
- Verify patched kernels boot successfully after maintenance.
- Review crash logs for null pointer dereference symptoms in powercap initialization.
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-476: 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-2023-52696 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
- 7.5 (3.1)
- Known Exploited
- No
- Published
Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/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.
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:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H3.93.6CISA-ADPVulnerability scoring details
Base CVSS 3.1 score
7.5HighVector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/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 reservedCVE Program
The CVE ID was reserved by the assigning CNA.
- CVE publishedCVE Program
The CVE record was published.
- 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://git.kernel.org/stable/c/9da4a56dd3772570512ca58aa8832b052ae910dcCVE reference, Linux
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/a67a04ad05acb56640798625e73fa54d6d41cce1CVE reference, Linux
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/6b58d16037217d0c64a2a09b655f370403ec7219CVE reference, Linux
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/f152a6bfd187f67afeffc9fd68cbe46f51439be0CVE reference, Linux
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/69f95c5e9220f77ce7c540686b056c2b49e9a664CVE reference, Linux
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/b02ecc35d01a76b4235e008d2dd292895b28ecabCVE reference, Linux
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/e123015c0ba859cf48aa7f89c5016cc6e98e018dCVE reference, Linux
- https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2024/06/msg00016.htmlCVE reference, CVE · x_transferred
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.
NULL Pointer Dereference
NULL Pointer Dereference represents a recurring weakness pattern that can create exploitable paths when design, validation, or implementation controls are missing.