LiveActive security incident?Get immediate response
CVE Record

CVE-2023-53379: usb: phy: phy-tahvo: fix memory leak in tahvo_usb_probe()

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: usb: phy: phy-tahvo: fix memory leak in tahvo_usb_probe() Smatch reports: drivers/usb/phy/phy-tahvo.c: tahvo_usb_probe() warn: missing unwind goto? After geting irq, if ret < 0, it will return without error handling to free memory. Just add error handling to fix this problem.

MediumCVSS 5.5Not KEV-listedUpdated
Discuss exposureBack to CVEs
Glexia's TakeAutomated analysismoderate

Security readout for executives and security teams

Plain-English summary

This is a Linux kernel memory leak in the Tahvo USB PHY driver. A local, low-privileged user could potentially trigger availability impact on systems using affected kernels and this driver path. It is not described as remote code execution or data theft.

Executive priority

Handle through the standard kernel patch program, with faster action for exposed operational systems that match the affected kernels and driver path. Business urgency is moderate because the stated impact is availability and local access is required.

Technical view

In tahvo_usb_probe(), an error path after IRQ acquisition can return without freeing allocated memory. The CVE maps to CWE-401 and CVSS 3.1 score 5.5, with local access, low complexity, low privileges, no user interaction, and high availability impact.

Likely exposure

Exposure is likely limited to Linux systems running affected kernel versions where the phy-tahvo USB PHY driver code is present or used. The supplied data lists affected Linux kernel version ranges and stable commit references but does not identify specific distributions or appliances.

Exploitation context

The source bundle marks KEV as false and provides no evidence of active exploitation. The CVSS vector is local and low-privileged, with no confidentiality or integrity impact stated. Treat this as an availability-risk kernel defect, not a confirmed exploited issue.

Researcher notes

Evidence supports a memory-leak error-unwind bug in drivers/usb/phy/phy-tahvo.c. The bundle provides upstream stable fix references but not distribution package names, real-world exploitation, or standalone mitigations. Validate distro backports and driver reachability before scoring local exposure.

Mitigation direction

  • Update affected Linux kernels using vendor-supported packages or stable releases containing the referenced fixes.
  • Prioritize systems matching affected kernel versions and using the Tahvo USB PHY driver path.
  • Check distribution advisories for backported fixes before relying only on upstream version numbers.
  • Plan reboot or live-patching according to normal kernel maintenance procedures.
  • Monitor the CVE record and Linux stable references for updated affected-version guidance.

Validation and detection

  • Inventory running Linux kernel versions against the affected and fixed version data in the CVE record.
  • Confirm whether the phy-tahvo driver code is built, packaged, or used on relevant systems.
  • Review vendor kernel changelogs for the referenced stable fix commits or equivalent backports.
  • After updating, verify systems run the remediated kernel build.
  • Include availability regression checks for systems that depend on USB PHY functionality.
Prepared
Confidence
medium
Sources
6

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

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 · low confidence lookup

CWE-401: 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 lookup
cve · low confidence lookup

CVE-2023-53379 mapping review

Open the CVE-to-ATT&CK bridge for reviewed, inferred, or future official mappings tied to this CVE.

Open ATT&CK lookup
Vulnerability profileCVE Program record
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

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
9Source links

SSVC decision data

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

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
5.5CVSS 3.1MediumCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H1.83.6CISA-ADP

Vulnerability scoring details

Base CVSS 3.1 score

5.5Medium
CVSS 3.1 vector shape for CVE-2023-53379Attack VectorAttack ComplexityPrivileges RequiredUser InteractionScopeConfidentiality ImpactIntegrity ImpactAvailability Impact

Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/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
LinuxLinux3f06415418f37ac602e71a61ee83ea43553e6bbd, 5e2d2f05204f7ab9c645a1fb9f10a3f6393dd2fa, 606668e24a0d7fd262e2326d76bb60b965fe713f, 494629ba62a961de1f2dd0b7125878acb27b8043, 0d45a1373e669880b8beaecc8765f44cb0241e47, 0d45a1373e669880b8beaecc8765f44cb0241e47, 0d45a1373e669880b8beaecc8765f44cb0241e47, 0d45a1373e669880b8beaecc8765f44cb0241e47, 62e663c172115b9e26a0856508db6277871a7c32, 4eab21911d5d6a3377b8965b9fb06463b248fe6b, dcf379ea4e93b8ea23d628db68ae953b26d63af1, b45f0d0105a0f50e681dc8fac4b32e1192de34f2, 4.14.247, 4.19.207, 5.4.146, 5.10.65, 4.4.284, 4.9.283, 5.13.17, 5.14.4unaffected
LinuxLinux5.15, 0, 4.14.322, 4.19.291, 5.4.251, 5.10.188, 5.15.121, 6.1.39, 6.4.4, 6.5affected
Weakness

CWE details

CWE-401

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

CWE-401 · source CWE mapping

Missing Release of Memory after Effective Lifetime

Missing Release of Memory after Effective Lifetime represents a recurring weakness pattern that can create exploitable paths when design, validation, or implementation controls are missing.

Open CWE intelligenceSame-CWE CVEs