CVE-2023-53517: linux kernel vulnerability

What is known

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: tipc: do not update mtu if msg_max is too small in mtu negotiation When doing link mtu negotiation, a malicious peer may send Activate msg with a very small mtu, e.g. 4 in Shuang's testing, without checking for the minimum mtu, l->mtu will be set to 4 in tipc_link_proto_rcv(), then n->links[bearer_id].mtu is set to 4294967228, which is a overflow of '4 - INT_H_SIZE - EMSG_OVERHEAD' in tipc_link_mss(). With tipc_link.mtu = 4, tipc_link_xmit() kept printing the warning: tipc: Too large msg, purging xmit list 1 5 0 40 4! tipc: Too large msg, purging xmit list 1 15 0 60 4! And with tipc_link_entry.mtu 4294967228, a huge skb was allocated in named_distribute(), and when purging it in tipc_link_xmit(), a crash was even caused: general protection fault, probably for non-canonical address 0x2100001011000dd: 0000 [#1] PREEMPT SMP PTI CPU: 0 PID: 0 Comm: swapper/0 Kdump: loaded Not tainted 6.3.0.neta #19 RIP: 0010:kfree_skb_list_reason+0x7e/0x1f0 Call Trace: <IRQ> skb_release_data+0xf9/0x1d0 kfree_skb_reason+0x40/0x100 tipc_link_xmit+0x57a/0x740 [tipc] tipc_node_xmit+0x16c/0x5c0 [tipc] tipc_named_node_up+0x27f/0x2c0 [tipc] tipc_node_write_unlock+0x149/0x170 [tipc] tipc_rcv+0x608/0x740 [tipc] tipc_udp_recv+0xdc/0x1f0 [tipc] udp_queue_rcv_one_skb+0x33e/0x620 udp_unicast_rcv_skb.isra.72+0x75/0x90 __udp4_lib_rcv+0x56d/0xc20 ip_protocol_deliver_rcu+0x100/0x2d0 This patch fixes it by checking the new mtu against tipc_bearer_min_mtu(), and not updating mtu if it is too small.

Business impact

Successful exploitation of CVE-2023-53517, a critical vulnerability (CVSS 9.8) affecting linux kernel, may affect the confidentiality, integrity or availability of the vulnerable environment. The exact impact depends on the installed version, exposed interfaces and deployment configuration.

Recommended administrator action

Confirm whether linux kernel is present and compare installed versions with the vendor advisory and NVD record. Apply the vendor patch or documented mitigation; until remediation is complete, reduce exposure of affected interfaces, review relevant logs and monitor for indicators of exploitation. DataHouse can support version verification, managed patching, network exposure reduction, log review and backup validation for dedicated, cloud and colocated environments.

Sources

• NVD
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