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CVE Record

CVE-2023-53854: ASoC: mediatek: mt8186: Fix use-after-free in driver remove path

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: ASoC: mediatek: mt8186: Fix use-after-free in driver remove path When devm runs function in the "remove" path for a device it runs them in the reverse order. That means that if you have parts of your driver that aren't using devm or are using "roll your own" devm w/ devm_add_action_or_reset() you need to keep that in mind. The mt8186 audio driver didn't quite get this right. Specifically, in mt8186_init_clock() it called mt8186_audsys_clk_register() and then went on to call a bunch of other devm function. The caller of mt8186_init_clock() used devm_add_action_or_reset() to call mt8186_deinit_clock() but, because of the intervening devm functions, the order was wrong. Specifically at probe time, the order was: 1. mt8186_audsys_clk_register() 2. afe_priv->clk = devm_kcalloc(...) 3. afe_priv->clk[i] = devm_clk_get(...) At remove time, the order (which should have been 3, 2, 1) was: 1. mt8186_audsys_clk_unregister() 3. Free all of afe_priv->clk[i] 2. Free afe_priv->clk The above seemed to be causing a use-after-free. Luckily, it's easy to fix this by simply using devm more correctly. Let's move the devm_add_action_or_reset() to the right place. In addition to fixing the use-after-free, code inspection shows that this fixes a leak (missing call to mt8186_audsys_clk_unregister()) that would have happened if any of the syscon_regmap_lookup_by_phandle() calls in mt8186_init_clock() had failed.

UnknownCVSS not scoredNot KEV-listedUpdated
Glexia's TakeAutomated analysisunknown

Security readout for executives and security teams

Plain-English summary

This CVE is a Linux kernel bug in the MediaTek MT8186 audio driver. During device removal, cleanup happened in the wrong order, creating a use-after-free condition. Business exposure is likely narrow and hardware-specific, but affected embedded, Chromebook, or ARM device fleets should confirm kernel fixes.

Executive priority

Treat as a targeted kernel maintenance issue, not an emergency internet-facing exposure based on available evidence. Prioritize validation for MT8186-based managed devices and roll the fix through normal kernel update channels once vendor packages are available.

Technical view

The mt8186 ASoC driver registered audio system clocks before later devm-managed allocations. On removal, a devm cleanup action unregistered clocks before related clock objects and arrays were released, causing incorrect teardown order and a use-after-free. The fix moves the devm cleanup registration to the proper point and also prevents a leak on initialization failure.

Likely exposure

Likely limited to Linux systems using the MediaTek MT8186 audio driver on affected kernel builds. The source lists Linux 6.0, 6.1.30, 6.3.4, and 6.4 as affected, but does not provide distribution package names or complete fixed-version mapping.

Exploitation context

The provided sources do not report active exploitation, and KEV is false. The described trigger is the driver remove path during device teardown, not a remotely exposed service. No public exploit status, CVSS score, or CWE classification is included in the bundle.

Researcher notes

Evidence is strongest for the root cause and fix because the source includes the kernel commit narrative. Evidence is incomplete for exploitability, severity, reachable attack surface, and downstream vendor package status. Avoid assuming impact beyond the MT8186 ASoC driver remove path.

Mitigation direction

  • Update affected kernels to a vendor release containing the stable mt8186 ASoC fix.
  • If maintaining a kernel tree, verify the referenced stable commits or vendor backports are applied.
  • Prioritize MediaTek MT8186 devices that load the affected audio driver.
  • Monitor Linux distribution and device vendor advisories for exact fixed package versions.

Validation and detection

  • Inventory devices running affected Linux kernel versions on MediaTek MT8186 hardware.
  • Confirm whether the mt8186 ASoC audio driver is built, loaded, or enabled.
  • Check kernel source or vendor changelogs for the referenced stable commit IDs.
  • Review device lifecycle testing that exercises driver bind, unbind, suspend, or removal paths.
Prepared
Confidence
medium
Sources
5

Generated from the cited source records. This long-tail analysis has not been individually reviewed by a named human.

Potential ATT&CK relevance

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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
4Source 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.

Affected products

Products and packages named in the record

VendorProductVersion / packageStatus
LinuxLinux55b423d5623ccd6785429431c2cf5f3e073b73ba, 55b423d5623ccd6785429431c2cf5f3e073b73ba, 55b423d5623ccd6785429431c2cf5f3e073b73baunaffected
LinuxLinux6.0, 0, 6.1.30, 6.3.4, 6.4affected
Weakness

CWE details

No CWE listed

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