Summary
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: Drivers: hv: vmbus: Don't...
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:
Drivers: hv: vmbus: Don't dereference ACPI root object handle
Since the commit referenced in the Fixes: tag below the VMBus client driver
is walking the ACPI namespace up from the VMBus ACPI device to the ACPI
namespace root object trying to find Hyper-V MMIO ranges.
However, if it is not able to find them it ends trying to walk resources of
the ACPI namespace root object itself.
This object has all-ones handle, which causes a NULL pointer dereference
in the ACPI code (from dereferencing this pointer with an offset).
This in turn causes an oops on boot with VMBus host implementations that do
not provide Hyper-V MMIO ranges in their VMBus ACPI device or its
ancestors.
The QEMU VMBus implementation is an example of such implementation.
I guess providing these ranges is optional, since all tested Windows
versions seem to be able to use VMBus devices without them.
Fix this by explicitly terminating the lookup at the ACPI namespace root
object.
Note that Linux guests under KVM/QEMU do not use the Hyper-V PV interface
by default - they only do so if the KVM PV interface is missing or
disabled.
Example stack trace of such oops:
[ 3.710827] ? __die+0x1f/0x60
[ 3.715030] ? page_fault_oops+0x159/0x460
[ 3.716008] ? exc_page_fault+0x73/0x170
[ 3.716959] ? asm_exc_page_fault+0x22/0x30
[ 3.717957] ? acpi_ns_lookup+0x7a/0x4b0
[ 3.718898] ? acpi_ns_internalize_name+0x79/0xc0
[ 3.720018] acpi_ns_get_node_unlocked+0xb5/0xe0
[ 3.721120] ? acpi_ns_check_object_type+0xfe/0x200
[ 3.722285] ? acpi_rs_convert_aml_to_resource+0x37/0x6e0
[ 3.723559] ? down_timeout+0x3a/0x60
[ 3.724455] ? acpi_ns_get_node+0x3a/0x60
[ 3.725412] acpi_ns_get_node+0x3a/0x60
[ 3.726335] acpi_ns_evaluate+0x1c3/0x2c0
[ 3.727295] acpi_ut_evaluate_object+0x64/0x1b0
[ 3.728400] acpi_rs_get_method_data+0x2b/0x70
[ 3.729476] ? vmbus_platform_driver_probe+0x1d0/0x1d0 [hv_vmbus]
[ 3.730940] ? vmbus_platform_driver_probe+0x1d0/0x1d0 [hv_vmbus]
[ 3.732411] acpi_walk_resources+0x78/0xd0
[ 3.733398] vmbus_platform_driver_probe+0x9f/0x1d0 [hv_vmbus]
[ 3.734802] platform_probe+0x3d/0x90
[ 3.735684] really_probe+0x19b/0x400
[ 3.736570] ? __device_attach_driver+0x100/0x100
[ 3.737697] __driver_probe_device+0x78/0x160
[ 3.738746] driver_probe_device+0x1f/0x90
[ 3.739743] __driver_attach+0xc2/0x1b0
[ 3.740671] bus_for_each_dev+0x70/0xc0
[ 3.741601] bus_add_driver+0x10e/0x210
[ 3.742527] driver_register+0x55/0xf0
[ 3.744412] ? 0xffffffffc039a000
[ 3.745207] hv_acpi_init+0x3c/0x1000 [hv_vmbus]
Impact
The application dereferences a null pointer, causing a crash. Typical impact: denial of service via crash.
CVE-2023-53647 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
Security releases
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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Frequently Asked Questions
- What is CVE-2023-53647? CVE-2023-53647 is a medium-severity null pointer dereference vulnerability. No fixed version is listed yet. The application dereferences a null pointer, causing a crash.
- How severe is CVE-2023-53647? CVE-2023-53647 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.
- Is there a fix for CVE-2023-53647? No fixed version is listed for CVE-2023-53647 yet. Monitor the advisory for updates and apply mitigations in the interim.
- Is CVE-2023-53647 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2023-53647 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
- What actually determines whether CVE-2023-53647 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.