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CVE Record

CVE-2023-53274: clk: mediatek: mt8183: Add back SSPM related clocks

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: clk: mediatek: mt8183: Add back SSPM related clocks This reverts commit 860690a93ef23b567f781c1b631623e27190f101. On the MT8183, the SSPM related clocks were removed claiming a lack of usage. This however causes some issues when the driver was converted to the new simple-probe mechanism. This mechanism allocates enough space for all the clocks defined in the clock driver, not the highest index in the DT binding. This leads to out-of-bound writes if their are holes in the DT binding or the driver (due to deprecated or unimplemented clocks). These errors can go unnoticed and cause memory corruption, leading to crashes in unrelated areas, or nothing at all. KASAN will detect them. Add the SSPM related clocks back to the MT8183 clock driver to fully implement the DT binding. The SSPM clocks are for the power management co-processor, and should never be turned off. They are marked as such.

HighCVSS 7.8Not KEV-listedUpdated
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Glexia's TakeAutomated analysishigh

Security readout for executives and security teams

Plain-English summary

This is a Linux kernel memory corruption issue affecting systems using the MediaTek MT8183 platform. A clock-driver mismatch can write outside allocated memory, causing crashes or potentially broader compromise by a local authenticated attacker. It is not listed in CISA KEV, and the provided sources do not show active exploitation.

Executive priority

Treat as high priority for fleets containing MT8183-based Linux devices, especially shared or user-accessible systems. For environments without this hardware, urgency is low after verification.

Technical view

The MT8183 clock driver removed SSPM-related clocks, leaving holes versus the device-tree binding. After conversion to simple-probe, allocation used the number of defined clocks rather than the highest binding index, enabling out-of-bounds writes. The fix restores SSPM clocks and marks them always-on.

Likely exposure

Most relevant to Linux devices built on MediaTek MT8183 running affected 6.4-era kernels, including 6.4 through 6.4.10 and 6.5 per the source bundle. General Linux servers not using this SoC are unlikely to be exposed.

Exploitation context

CVSS indicates local access, low complexity, low privileges, and no user interaction. Impact is high for confidentiality, integrity, and availability. No KEV listing or cited source confirms exploitation in the wild.

Researcher notes

The vulnerability is a driver/binding consistency bug leading to CWE-787 out-of-bounds writes. Sources identify memory corruption and KASAN detection, but do not provide exploit evidence. Confirm downstream backports rather than relying only on upstream version numbers.

Mitigation direction

  • Update to a kernel containing the referenced stable fixes.
  • Check distribution or device-vendor advisories for backported kernel packages.
  • Prioritize MT8183-based endpoints, appliances, and embedded devices.
  • If patching is delayed, limit local user access on exposed devices.

Validation and detection

  • Inventory systems for MediaTek MT8183 hardware.
  • Check running kernel versions against affected ranges.
  • Confirm whether stable commits 45d69917 or 1eb8d61 are present.
  • Review kernel logs for unexplained memory corruption or KASAN findings.
Prepared
Confidence
high
Sources
4

Public sources used

Generated from the cited source records. This long-tail analysis has not been individually reviewed by a named human.

Potential ATT&CK relevance

Conservative CVE-to-ATT&CK context

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ATT&CK lookup starting points

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cwe · low confidence lookup

CWE-787: 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.

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cve · low confidence lookup

CVE-2023-53274 mapping review

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Vulnerability profileCVE Program record
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

Official CVE source material

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.

1CVSS vectors
3Timeline events
1ADP providers
3Source links

SSVC decision data

CISA-ADPCISA Coordinator
Timestamp
Version
2.0.3
Exploitation: noneAutomatable: noTechnical Impact: total

CVSS vector scores

1 official score

We 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.

ScoreVersionSeverityVectorExploitImpactSource
7.8CVSS 3.1HighCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H1.85.9CISA-ADP

Vulnerability scoring details

Base CVSS 3.1 score

7.8High
CVSS 3.1 vector shape for CVE-2023-53274Attack VectorAttack ComplexityPrivileges RequiredUser InteractionScopeConfidentiality ImpactIntegrity ImpactAvailability Impact

Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Attack Vector
NetworkAdjacentLocalPhysical
Attack Complexity
LowHigh
Privileges Required
NoneLowHigh
User Interaction
NoneRequired
Scope
ChangedUnchanged
Confidentiality Impact
HighLowNone
Integrity Impact
HighLowNone
Availability Impact
HighLowNone

Vulnerability timeline

Timeline events are normalized from CVE metadata, CNA source timelines, ADP timelines, and KEV metadata when present.

  1. CVE reservedCVE Program

    The CVE ID was reserved by the assigning CNA.

  2. CVE publishedCVE Program

    The CVE record was published.

  3. CVE updatedCVE Program

    The CVE record metadata indicates this as the latest update time.

ADP provider summaries

CISA-ADPCISA ADP Vulnrichment
cvssV3_1other:ssvc

Source materials

Affected products

Products and packages named in the record

VendorProductVersion / packageStatus
LinuxLinux3f37ba7cc385ba07762ffcd7ac38af8c0f84dd3e, 3f37ba7cc385ba07762ffcd7ac38af8c0f84dd3eunaffected
LinuxLinux6.4, 0, 6.4.10, 6.5affected
Weakness

CWE details

CWE-787

CWE links open Glexia weakness intelligence pages with official CWE context, developer remediation guidance, and related CVE mappings.

CWE-787 · source CWE mapping

Out-of-bounds Write

Out-of-bounds Write represents a recurring weakness pattern that can create exploitable paths when design, validation, or implementation controls are missing.

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