CVE-2023-53493 (GCVE-0-2023-53493)

Vulnerability from cvelistv5 – Published: 2025-10-01 11:45 – Updated: 2026-08-05 09:14
VLAI
Title
accel/qaic: tighten bounds checking in decode_message()
Summary
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: accel/qaic: tighten bounds checking in decode_message() Copy the bounds checking from encode_message() to decode_message(). This patch addresses the following concerns. Ensure that there is enough space for at least one header so that we don't have a negative size later. if (msg_hdr_len < sizeof(*trans_hdr)) Ensure that we have enough space to read the next header from the msg->data. if (msg_len > msg_hdr_len - sizeof(*trans_hdr)) return -EINVAL; Check that the trans_hdr->len is not below the minimum size: if (hdr_len < sizeof(*trans_hdr)) This minimum check ensures that we don't corrupt memory in decode_passthrough() when we do. memcpy(out_trans->data, in_trans->data, len - sizeof(in_trans->hdr)); And finally, use size_add() to prevent an integer overflow: if (size_add(msg_len, hdr_len) > msg_hdr_len)
Severity
8.4 (High)
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Assigner
References
Impacted products
Vendor Product Version CPE status
Linux Linux Affected: 129776ac2e38231fa9c02ce20e116c99de291666 , < 57d14cb3bae4619ce2fb5235cb318c3d5d8f53fd (git)
Affected: 129776ac2e38231fa9c02ce20e116c99de291666 , < 51b56382ed2a2b03347372272362b3baa623ed1e (git)
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Linux Linux Affected: 6.4
Unaffected: 0 , < 6.4 (semver)
Unaffected: 6.4.7 , ≤ 6.4.* (semver)
Unaffected: 6.5 , ≤ * (original_commit_for_fix)
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Show details on NVD website
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{
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          "product": "Linux",
          "programFiles": [
            "drivers/accel/qaic/qaic_control.c"
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              "value": "AV:L - The malicious input is the MHI control-channel response emitted by the attached Qualcomm Cloud AI 100 PCIe/M.2 accelerator, so the attack originates from locally-attached hardware or firmware-compromised on-card QSM (the card executes untrusted tenant model workloads in cloud AI deployments), not from any network. This matches the kernel CNA precedent for analogous MHI host-driver bugs (CVE-2023-53598, CVE-2025-39790).\nAC:L - The device has complete, deterministic control over every byte of the response \u2014 magic number, sequence number, `hdr.len`, `hdr.count`, and each `wire_trans_hdr` \u2014 and `decode_message()` consumes it unconditionally; setting `trans_hdr-\u003etype = QAIC_TRANS_PASSTHROUGH_FROM_DEV` with `len = 0` reliably reaches the underflowed `memcpy()` every time, with no race, no timing window, and no memory-layout condition outside the attacker\u0027s influence.\nPR:N - No host account, credential, or capability is needed: `qaic_mhi_probe()` invokes `get_cntl_version()` \u2192 `decode_message()` automatically at device power-up, and `qaic_control_open()` installs `valid_crc_stub` so that first response\u0027s CRC is not even validated. A compromised device can also force re-entry by triggering an MHI SYS_ERROR/reset; on the user-driven path the `QAIC_MANAGE` ioctl carries flags `0` (no `DRM_ROOT_ONLY`, no `DRM_AUTH`), so an unprivileged holder of `/dev/accel/accelN` suffices.\nUI:N - The vulnerable decode runs from the MHI probe path and the control-response workqueue with no victim action required \u2014 no mount, no file open, no administrator step. Device enumeration and driver bring-up alone execute the parser.\nS:U - The out-of-bounds read and the unbounded `memcpy()` write both land in the host kernel\u0027s own heap, the same security authority as the vulnerable driver. No hypervisor, IOMMU, or sandbox boundary is crossed by the corruption itself.\nC:H - Without the `msg_len \u003e msg_hdr_len - sizeof(*trans_hdr)` guard, `trans_hdr` is read past the end of the 4 KB `kmalloc()`\u0027d (not zeroed) response buffer, and `decode_passthrough()` copies out-of-bounds source bytes into `user_msg-\u003edata`, which `qaic_manage_ioctl()` hands straight back via `copy_to_user()` \u2014 a direct kernel-heap disclosure primitive. The same underflowed copy also reads far beyond the source buffer.\nI:H - `memcpy(out_trans-\u003edata, in_trans-\u003edata, len - sizeof(in_trans-\u003ehdr))` with a device-supplied `len \u003c 8` produces a size of ~2^64, giving an out-of-bounds heap write whose source contents are entirely device-controlled, into a destination that in the probe path is a ~32-byte allocation. That is a fully controlled slab overflow suitable for adjacent-object corruption and control-flow hijack.\nA:H - The underflowed `memcpy()` walks off the end of the slab and past the mapped heap, guaranteeing slab corruption, an oops, and a kernel panic; the missing `hdr_len` minimum also permits a zero-advance transaction loop. The attacking device can repeat this on every probe or reset, denying service permanently."
            }
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    "assignerShortName": "Linux",
    "cveId": "CVE-2023-53493",
    "datePublished": "2025-10-01T11:45:44.939Z",
    "dateReserved": "2025-10-01T11:39:39.403Z",
    "dateUpdated": "2026-08-05T09:14:25.393Z",
    "state": "PUBLISHED"
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            "value": "In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:\n\naccel/qaic: tighten bounds checking in decode_message()\n\nCopy the bounds checking from encode_message() to decode_message().\n\nThis patch addresses the following concerns.  Ensure that there is\nenough space for at least one header so that we don\u0027t have a negative\nsize later.\n\n\tif (msg_hdr_len \u003c sizeof(*trans_hdr))\n\nEnsure that we have enough space to read the next header from the\nmsg-\u003edata.\n\n\tif (msg_len \u003e msg_hdr_len - sizeof(*trans_hdr))\n\t\treturn -EINVAL;\n\nCheck that the trans_hdr-\u003elen is not below the minimum size:\n\n\tif (hdr_len \u003c sizeof(*trans_hdr))\n\nThis minimum check ensures that we don\u0027t corrupt memory in\ndecode_passthrough() when we do.\n\n\tmemcpy(out_trans-\u003edata, in_trans-\u003edata, len - sizeof(in_trans-\u003ehdr));\n\nAnd finally, use size_add() to prevent an integer overflow:\n\n\tif (size_add(msg_len, hdr_len) \u003e msg_hdr_len)"
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      "cve": "CVE-2023-53493",
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      "product_status:known_not_affected": "274",
      "source": "Red Hat CSAF VEX",
      "status": "final",
      "title": "kernel: accel/qaic: tighten bounds checking in decode_message()",
      "url": "https://security.access.redhat.com/data/csaf/v2/vex/2023/cve-2023-53493.json",
      "version": "3"
    }
  }
}



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Forecast uses a logistic model when the trend is rising, or an exponential decay model when the trend is falling. Fitted via linearized least squares.

Sightings

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Nomenclature

  • Seen: The vulnerability was mentioned, discussed, or observed by the user.
  • Confirmed: The vulnerability has been validated from an analyst's perspective.
  • Published Proof of Concept: A public proof of concept is available for this vulnerability.
  • Exploited: The vulnerability was observed as exploited by the user who reported the sighting.
  • Patched: The vulnerability was observed as successfully patched by the user who reported the sighting.
  • Not exploited: The vulnerability was not observed as exploited by the user who reported the sighting.
  • Not confirmed: The user expressed doubt about the validity of the vulnerability.
  • Not patched: The vulnerability was not observed as successfully patched by the user who reported the sighting.


Detection rules are retrieved from Rulezet.


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