Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
CVE-2023-53384 is a Linux kernel denial-of-service issue in the mwifiex Wi-Fi driver. A failed packet copy could lead to a NULL pointer dereference and crash affected systems. Business urgency is highest for Linux devices using Marvell mwifiex wireless functionality, especially embedded, edge, or appliance environments.
Executive priority
Treat as a targeted availability-risk update, not an emergency internet-wide exposure. Patch in normal kernel maintenance cycles, faster for business-critical Linux devices depending on mwifiex wireless networking where a crash would disrupt operations.
Technical view
The flaw is CWE-476 in mwifiex_handle_uap_rx_forward(). The kernel fix adds a check for skb_copy() failure before passing data to mwifiex_uap_queue_bridged_pkt(), dropping the original skb on copy failure. CVSS is 5.5: local attack vector, low complexity, low privileges, no user interaction, high availability impact.
Likely exposure
Exposure appears limited to Linux systems running affected kernel builds with the mwifiex Wi-Fi driver in use. The CVE record lists Linux kernel versions/branches and multiple stable kernel commits. Distribution kernels may differ because of backports, so validate against vendor advisories and installed kernel changelogs.
Exploitation context
The provided sources do not show active exploitation, and the CVE is not marked KEV. The CVSS vector indicates local, low-privilege exploitation with availability impact only. The issue was found by Linux Verification Center using SVACE, suggesting a code-analysis-discovered reliability flaw rather than a reported in-the-wild campaign.
Researcher notes
Affected-version precision is incomplete in the provided bundle. The CVE lists Linux kernel version markers and stable commits, but distro backports may already contain the fix. Avoid assuming exploitability beyond the CVSS-local model without additional evidence.
Mitigation direction
- Apply Linux kernel updates that include the referenced mwifiex stable fixes.
- Check your Linux distribution advisory for the exact fixed kernel package.
- Prioritize systems that use Marvell mwifiex Wi-Fi or embedded wireless access point functions.
- If updates are unavailable, assess whether mwifiex functionality can be disabled safely.
Validation and detection
- Inventory Linux kernel versions on devices using Wi-Fi.
- Check whether the mwifiex driver is present, loaded, or required.
- Compare installed kernels against vendor fixed package information.
- Review kernel changelogs for the referenced mwifiex skb_copy NULL-check fix.
- Confirm patched systems remain stable after wireless functionality testing.
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-2023-53384 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/d155c5f64cefacdc6a9a26d40be53ee2903c28ffCVE reference, Linux
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/139d285e7695279f030dbb172e2d0245425c86c6CVE reference, Linux
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/231086e6a36316b823654f4535653f22d6344420CVE reference, Linux
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/bef85d58f7709896ed8426560ad117a73a37762fCVE reference, Linux
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/d7fd24b8d1bb54c5bcf583139e11a5e651e0263cCVE reference, Linux
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/7e7197e4d6a1bc72a774590d8765909f898be1dcCVE reference, Linux
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/0c57f9ad2c3ed43abb764b0247d610ff7fdb7a00CVE reference, Linux
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/c2509f7c37355e1f0bd5b7087815b845fd383723CVE reference, Linux
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/35a7a1ce7c7d61664ee54f5239a1f120ab95a87eCVE 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.