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CVE Record

CVE-2023-53715: wifi: brcmfmac: cfg80211: Pass the PMK in binary instead of hex

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: wifi: brcmfmac: cfg80211: Pass the PMK in binary instead of hex Apparently the hex passphrase mechanism does not work on newer chips/firmware (e.g. BCM4387). It seems there was a simple way of passing it in binary all along, so use that and avoid the hexification. OpenBSD has been doing it like this from the beginning, so this should work on all chips. Also clear the structure before setting the PMK. This was leaking uninitialized stack contents to the device.

UnknownCVSS not scoredNot KEV-listedUpdated
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Glexia's TakeAutomated analysisunknown

Security readout for executives and security teams

Plain-English summary

This Linux kernel issue affects the Broadcom brcmfmac Wi-Fi driver. The documented security concern is leakage of uninitialized kernel stack data to the Wi-Fi device when setting a PMK. It also fixes compatibility with newer Broadcom firmware. Public sources do not show active exploitation or a CVSS score.

Executive priority

Handle through normal kernel patch management unless the organization has Broadcom Wi-Fi Linux fleets, embedded devices, or regulated data-handling endpoints. No public source in the bundle supports emergency response or active exploitation.

Technical view

brcmfmac cfg80211 was passing the PMK through a hex mechanism and did not clear the related structure before use. The fix passes the PMK in binary and zeroes the structure first, avoiding uninitialized stack contents being sent to the device. Stable kernel commits are referenced across multiple branches.

Likely exposure

Exposure appears limited to Linux systems using the brcmfmac Broadcom Wi-Fi driver on affected kernel versions, especially newer chips or firmware such as BCM4387. Servers without this driver or Wi-Fi hardware are unlikely to be exposed based on the bundle.

Exploitation context

The source bundle does not provide an exploit scenario, remote attack path, CVSS vector, or evidence of exploitation. KEV status is false. Treat this as a kernel information-disclosure hardening issue until vendor guidance or distribution advisories provide more detail.

Researcher notes

The key security-relevant line is the uninitialized stack contents leak to the device. The bundle does not establish whether device-side access enables practical data recovery, privilege escalation, or remote exploitation. Avoid overstating impact without additional vendor analysis.

Mitigation direction

  • Update to a kernel containing the referenced stable brcmfmac fixes.
  • Prioritize laptops, embedded devices, and appliances using Broadcom brcmfmac Wi-Fi.
  • Check distribution advisories for backported kernel package fixes.
  • Disable unused Broadcom Wi-Fi hardware where practical until updated.

Validation and detection

  • Inventory Linux hosts for loaded or available brcmfmac driver support.
  • Map kernel versions against vendor packages containing the stable fixes.
  • Review distribution changelogs for CVE-2023-53715 or the referenced commits.
  • Confirm no affected Broadcom Wi-Fi devices remain on unsupported kernels.
Prepared
Confidence
medium
Sources
10

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

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CVE-2023-53715 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
9Source 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
LinuxLinuxb8a64f0e96c2b258321ee03975aeb0f5e88a055b, b8a64f0e96c2b258321ee03975aeb0f5e88a055b, b8a64f0e96c2b258321ee03975aeb0f5e88a055b, b8a64f0e96c2b258321ee03975aeb0f5e88a055b, b8a64f0e96c2b258321ee03975aeb0f5e88a055b, b8a64f0e96c2b258321ee03975aeb0f5e88a055b, b8a64f0e96c2b258321ee03975aeb0f5e88a055b, b8a64f0e96c2b258321ee03975aeb0f5e88a055bunaffected
LinuxLinux4.13, 0, 4.14.316, 4.19.284, 5.4.244, 5.10.181, 5.15.113, 6.1.30, 6.3.4, 6.4affected
Weakness

CWE details

No CWE listed

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