Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
This Linux kernel flaw can crash affected systems when invalid interrupt data reaches the inter-processor interrupt path. The business impact is availability loss, not data theft. It requires local access according to the CVSS vector, so internet-facing exposure is not the primary concern.
Executive priority
Handle through normal kernel patch management with moderate priority. Escalate for shared hosting, CI runners, bastion-adjacent systems, and platforms running untrusted local workloads because the credible impact is service disruption.
Technical view
CVE-2023-53332 is a CWE-476 NULL pointer dereference in Linux genirq/ipi. Invalid interrupt numbers can leave local data NULL, and ipi_send_verify() previously dereferenced it through irq_data_get_affinity_mask(), causing a kernel oops. The fix adds a missing NULL check.
Likely exposure
Exposure is most relevant on Linux systems running affected kernel versions or unpatched downstream kernels. Risk is higher where local users, services, or untrusted workloads can reach kernel paths tied to interrupt handling. The source bundle does not identify specific distributions or appliances.
Exploitation context
The CVSS vector is local, low complexity, low privileges, no user interaction, with high availability impact. The bundle says KEV is false and provides no cited evidence of active exploitation. Treat this as a local denial-of-service risk unless vendor advisories state otherwise.
Researcher notes
Evidence is limited to the CVE record, CVSS data, and Linux stable references. The bundle identifies the root cause and fix direction, but does not provide distribution mappings, exploit observations, or affected configuration prerequisites beyond the kernel version data.
Mitigation direction
- Apply Linux kernel stable updates containing the referenced fixes.
- Check distribution or appliance vendor advisories for backported patches.
- Prioritize shared, multi-user, and untrusted workload hosts.
- Reduce unnecessary local access to sensitive Linux systems.
- Schedule reboot or live-patch procedures as required by your kernel vendor.
Validation and detection
- Inventory Linux kernel versions across servers and images.
- Compare installed kernels with vendor advisories and fixed package versions.
- Check whether referenced stable commits are included or backported.
- Review logs for unexplained kernel oops events on affected hosts.
- Confirm patched systems have booted into the updated kernel.
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-2023-53332 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
- 5.5 (3.1)
- Known Exploited
- No
- Published
Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/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:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H1.83.6CISA-ADPVulnerability scoring details
Base CVSS 3.1 score
5.5MediumVector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/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 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/926aef60ea64cd9becf2829f7388f48dbe8bcb11CVE reference, Linux
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/7448c73d64075051f50caed2c62f46553b69ab8aCVE reference, Linux
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/feabecaff5902f896531dde90646ca5dfa9d4f7dCVE reference, Linux
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.