Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
This is a Linux kernel memory-safety flaw in PCI bus cleanup. Under certain local conditions, the kernel can read a PCI bus structure after it has already been freed. The CVSS rating is high because successful abuse could affect confidentiality, integrity, and availability, but the source bundle does not show active exploitation.
Executive priority
Treat as a high-priority kernel maintenance item, not an emergency internet-facing incident based on the provided evidence. Patch through normal expedited Linux update channels, prioritizing shared, privileged, or multi-tenant systems.
Technical view
CVE-2023-53363 is a CWE-416 use-after-free in pci_bus_release_domain_nr(), introduced by PCI domain ID allocation changes. During root bus removal, pci_remove_bus() can release struct pci_bus before pci_bus_release_domain_nr() accesses it. The upstream resolution reorders cleanup to avoid accessing freed memory.
Likely exposure
Exposure is most likely on systems running affected Linux kernel builds identified in the CVE metadata, especially 6.2-era kernels and related backports. Confirm distribution package status because downstream vendors may backport fixes without changing upstream version numbers.
Exploitation context
The CVSS vector is local, low complexity, low privileges, and no user interaction. The bundle marks KEV as false and provides no cited evidence of exploitation in the wild, public exploit availability, or remote attack surface.
Researcher notes
The source bundle attributes the bug to commit c14f7ccc9f5d and describes KFENCE detection during PCI host deinitialization. The observed trace includes DesignWare and Tegra PCIe paths, but the CVE is for Linux kernel PCI cleanup behavior, not a named device-only issue.
Mitigation direction
- Update to a Linux kernel containing the referenced stable fixes.
- Use distribution kernel advisories to confirm backported fix status.
- Prioritize multi-user systems where local privilege boundaries matter.
- Reduce unnecessary local shell access on affected systems.
- Check vendor guidance if a fixed package is not yet available.
Validation and detection
- Inventory running kernel versions across Linux hosts.
- Map kernel packages to vendor advisories and stable commit references.
- Confirm the pci_bus_release_domain_nr() cleanup reorder is present.
- Review kernel logs for PCI removal or KFENCE use-after-free reports.
- Retest after patching with normal reboot and hardware initialization checks.
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-2023-53363 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.
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:H/I:H/A:H1.85.9CISA-ADPVulnerability 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
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/52b0343c7d628f37b38e3279ba585526b850ad3bCVE reference, Linux
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/ad367516b1c09317111255ecfbf5e42c33e31918CVE reference, Linux
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/fbf45385e3419b8698b5e0a434847072375cfec2CVE reference, Linux
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/07a75c0050e59c50f038cc5f4e2a3258c8f8c9d0CVE reference, Linux
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/30ba2d09edb5ea857a1473ae3d820911347ada62CVE 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.
Use After Free
Use After Free represents a recurring weakness pattern that can create exploitable paths when design, validation, or implementation controls are missing.