CVE-2023-53168

CVE-2023-53168 is a medium-severity null pointer dereference vulnerability. No fixed version is listed yet.

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Runtime intelligence, not another scanner.

Summary

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: usb: ucsi_acpi: Increase the...

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:

usb: ucsi_acpi: Increase the command completion timeout

Commit 130a96d698d7 ("usb: typec: ucsi: acpi: Increase command
completion timeout value") increased the timeout from 5 seconds
to 60 seconds due to issues related to alternate mode discovery.

After the alternate mode discovery switch to polled mode
the timeout was reduced, but instead of being set back to
5 seconds it was reduced to 1 second.

This is causing problems when using a Lenovo ThinkPad X1 yoga gen7
connected over Type-C to a LG 27UL850-W (charging DP over Type-C).

When the monitor is already connected at boot the following error
is logged: "PPM init failed (-110)", /sys/class/typec is empty and
on unplugging the NULL pointer deref fixed earlier in this series
happens.

When the monitor is connected after boot the following error
is logged instead: "GET_CONNECTOR_STATUS failed (-110)".

Setting the timeout back to 5 seconds fixes both cases.

Impact

The application dereferences a null pointer, causing a crash. Typical impact: denial of service via crash.

CVE-2023-53168 has a CVSS score of 5.5 (Medium). The vector is requires local access, low privileges required, and no user interaction. A CVSS score reflects the worst-case severity of the vulnerability, not your specific exposure. Whether this affects your application depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable in your environment. No fixed version is listed yet, so configuration controls and monitoring matter more in the interim.

Affected versions

Not available

Security releases

Not available

Kodem intelligence

Severity tells you how bad this could be in the worst case. It does not tell you whether you are exposed. Exploitability and impact are functions of runtime truth: whether the vulnerable code is present, reachable, and actually executes in your application. A vulnerable package can sit in your dependency tree and never run.

Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to reveal which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so teams prioritize the ones that genuinely matter. Kodem's runtime-powered SCA identifies whether this CVE is reachable in your applications.

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Remediation advice

Not available

Frequently Asked Questions

  1. What is CVE-2023-53168? CVE-2023-53168 is a medium-severity null pointer dereference vulnerability. No fixed version is listed yet. The application dereferences a null pointer, causing a crash.
  2. How severe is CVE-2023-53168? CVE-2023-53168 has a CVSS score of 5.5 (Medium). This score reflects the worst-case severity of the vulnerability, not your specific exposure. Whether it represents real risk in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable.
  3. Is there a fix for CVE-2023-53168? No fixed version is listed for CVE-2023-53168 yet. Monitor the advisory for updates and apply mitigations in the interim.
  4. Is CVE-2023-53168 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2023-53168 is exploitable in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable. A CVSS score is a worst-case rating; it does not account for your specific deployment, configuration, or usage patterns. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to show which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so you can focus on the ones that represent real risk. Get a demo
  5. What actually determines whether CVE-2023-53168 is exploitable, and how bad it is? Exploitability and impact are not fixed properties of a CVE. They depend on runtime truth: whether the vulnerable code is present, reachable, and actually executes in your application. A high CVSS score on a dependency that never runs is not the same as real risk. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to reveal which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so teams prioritize the ones that genuinely matter.

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