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CVE Record

CVE-2023-53697: nvdimm: Fix memleak of pmu attr_groups in unregister_nvdimm_pmu()

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: nvdimm: Fix memleak of pmu attr_groups in unregister_nvdimm_pmu() Memory pointed by 'nd_pmu->pmu.attr_groups' is allocated in function 'register_nvdimm_pmu' and is lost after 'kfree(nd_pmu)' call in function 'unregister_nvdimm_pmu'.

UnknownCVSS not scoredNot KEV-listedUpdated
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Glexia's TakeAutomated analysisunknown

Security readout for executives and security teams

Plain-English summary

This CVE describes a Linux kernel memory leak in NVDIMM performance monitoring cleanup. When an NVDIMM PMU is unregistered, allocated attribute-group memory can be lost instead of freed. The public data does not provide CVSS, a detailed attack path, or evidence of exploitation.

Executive priority

Treat as a targeted kernel maintenance issue, not an emergency, unless the environment heavily uses NVDIMM hardware. The main business risk is availability degradation from kernel memory leakage, with incomplete evidence on exploitability.

Technical view

The issue is in unregister_nvdimm_pmu(): nd_pmu->pmu.attr_groups is allocated by register_nvdimm_pmu(), but the pointer is lost after kfree(nd_pmu). This can leak kernel memory during NVDIMM PMU unregister flows. Stable kernel commits are referenced as fixes.

Likely exposure

Exposure is likely limited to Linux systems using affected kernel builds with NVDIMM or persistent-memory PMU functionality. General Linux systems without that subsystem active may have little practical exposure, but the source bundle does not define exact runtime prerequisites.

Exploitation context

No active exploitation is reported in the provided sources, and KEV status is false. The source data describes a memory leak, not privilege escalation, code execution, or data disclosure. Repeated triggering could plausibly affect availability, but no public exploit path is cited.

Researcher notes

The record is sparse: no CVSS, CWE, exploitability notes, or vendor-specific package mapping are provided. Analysis should focus on commit ancestry, distro backports, and whether local NVDIMM PMU unregister paths are reachable in production.

Mitigation direction

  • Update to a vendor kernel containing the referenced stable fixes.
  • Prioritize systems using NVDIMM or persistent memory hardware.
  • Check distribution advisories for backported kernel fixes.
  • Plan kernel maintenance if affected builds are present.

Validation and detection

  • Inventory Linux kernel versions across server fleets.
  • Identify systems with NVDIMM or persistent-memory features enabled.
  • Confirm whether vendor kernels include the referenced fixes.
  • Review kernel package changelogs for this CVE or commit references.
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

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CVE-2023-53697 mapping review

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Vulnerability profileCVE Program record
Severity
Unknown
CVSS
Not scored
Known Exploited
No
Published
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.

0CVSS vectors
3Timeline events
0ADP providers
5Source links

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.

Source materials

Affected products

Products and packages named in the record

VendorProductVersion / packageStatus
LinuxLinux0fab1ba6ad6ba1f76380f92ead95c6e861ef8116, 0fab1ba6ad6ba1f76380f92ead95c6e861ef8116, 0fab1ba6ad6ba1f76380f92ead95c6e861ef8116, 0fab1ba6ad6ba1f76380f92ead95c6e861ef8116unaffected
LinuxLinux5.18, 0, 6.1.53, 6.4.16, 6.5.3, 6.6affected
Weakness

CWE details

No CWE listed

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