CVE-2023-53713: arm64: sme: Use STR P to clear FFR context field in streaming SVE mode
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:
arm64: sme: Use STR P to clear FFR context field in streaming SVE mode
The FFR is a predicate register which can vary between 16 and 256 bits
in size depending upon the configured vector length. When saving the
SVE state in streaming SVE mode, the FFR register is inaccessible and
so commit 9f5848665788 ("arm64/sve: Make access to FFR optional") simply
clears the FFR field of the in-memory context structure. Unfortunately,
it achieves this using an unconditional 8-byte store and so if the SME
vector length is anything other than 64 bytes in size we will either
fail to clear the entire field or, worse, we will corrupt memory
immediately following the structure. This has led to intermittent kfence
splats in CI [1] and can trigger kmalloc Redzone corruption messages
when running the 'fp-stress' kselftest:
| =============================================================================
| BUG kmalloc-1k (Not tainted): kmalloc Redzone overwritten
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
|
| 0xffff000809bf1e22-0xffff000809bf1e27 @offset=7714. First byte 0x0 instead of 0xcc
| Allocated in do_sme_acc+0x9c/0x220 age=2613 cpu=1 pid=531
| __kmalloc+0x8c/0xcc
| do_sme_acc+0x9c/0x220
| ...
Replace the 8-byte store with a store of a predicate register which has
been zero-initialised with PFALSE, ensuring that the entire field is
cleared in memory.
[1] https://lore.kernel.org/r/CA+G9fYtU7HsV0R0dp4XEH5xXHSJFw8KyDf5VQrLLfMxWfxQkag@mail.gmail.com
Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
CVE-2023-53713 is a Linux kernel arm64 memory-corruption flaw in SME/SVE state handling. A kernel path cleared the wrong amount of memory for the FFR field, which could leave data uncleared or corrupt adjacent memory. The public sources show test and CI corruption symptoms, not active exploitation.
Executive priority
Handle through normal kernel patch governance, with higher priority for arm64 fleets using SME-capable processors. The sources show real memory corruption but no evidence of active exploitation or broad remote exposure.
Technical view
In arm64 streaming SVE mode, FFR is inaccessible, so Linux cleared the saved FFR context in memory. The vulnerable code used an unconditional 8-byte store although FFR size varies with vector length, causing incomplete clearing or overwrite past the context structure. The fix uses a zeroed predicate-register store.
Likely exposure
Exposure appears limited to Linux arm64 systems using affected kernel versions or branches with SME/streaming SVE support. Organizations running commodity x86 Linux are not implicated by the provided sources. Kernel packages from distributions may backport fixes, so version strings alone are not enough.
Exploitation context
The bundle does not cite KEV listing, public exploitation, exploit code, or attacker technique. Evidence is kernel CI and kselftest memory-corruption reports, including KFENCE and kmalloc redzone alerts. Treat exploitability as unproven from these sources, but kernel memory corruption still warrants timely remediation.
Researcher notes
Focus validation on the arm64 SME streaming SVE save path and the FFR context field size mismatch. The key behavior is an 8-byte clear against a variable-size predicate field, corrected by storing a zeroed predicate register.
Mitigation direction
Update to a kernel containing the referenced stable fix commits.
Check Linux distribution advisories for backported fixes in vendor kernels.
Prioritize affected arm64 systems with SME-capable hardware or workloads.
If no vendor fix is available, follow vendor guidance for interim risk handling.
Validation and detection
Inventory arm64 Linux systems and kernel package build metadata.
Confirm whether the kernel includes one of the referenced stable fixes.
Review kernel logs for KFENCE or kmalloc redzone corruption indicators.
Run appropriate vendor-approved SME/SVE regression tests after patching.
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.
cve · low confidence lookup
CVE-2023-53713 mapping review
Open the CVE-to-ATT&CK bridge for reviewed, inferred, or future official mappings tied to this CVE.
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.
CVE reservedCVE Program
The CVE ID was reserved by the assigning CNA.
CVE publishedCVE Program
The CVE record was published.
Oct 22, 2025, 13:23 UTC (UTC+00:00)
CVE updatedCVE Program
The CVE record metadata indicates this as the latest update time.