Security Resilience

CVE-2023-2156

Linux Kernel 5.7 – 5.10.184

Published
09 May 2023
Modified
21 November 2024
CVSS Score v3.1 7.5
Click a component to see what it means
Raw vectorCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
EPSS Score 0.062 93th percentile
Risk Priority 73 floored blend · peak EPSS

CVSS and EPSS are reproduced from their sources (NVD, FIRST EPSS). Risk Priority is our own derived reading, not an NVD score.

Summary

CVE-2023-2156 is a high-severity Reachable Assertion (CWE-617) vulnerability in Linux Linux Kernel. Its CVSS base score is 7.5 (High).

Operationally, exploitation aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique Data Obfuscation (T1001); ranked in the top 7% of CVEs by exploit likelihood; it is not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog.

Deeper analysis AI-assisted summary

Synthesised by an AI model from the NVD description and linked references — a reading aid, not an authoritative source.

A flaw exists in the Linux kernel's networking subsystem related to handling of the RPL protocol. The issue stems from insufficient validation of user-supplied data, which triggers an assertion failure classified under CWE-617. This affects the kernel's ability to process certain network inputs safely and carries a CVSS 3.1 score of 7.5 with network attack vector and high availability impact.

An unauthenticated remote attacker can send crafted packets that reach the vulnerable RPL code path, causing the kernel to hit the assertion and crash the system. The result is a denial-of-service condition that requires no privileges or user interaction on the target.

Public references on oss-security mailing lists and the Red Hat Bugzilla entry for this issue provide additional technical discussion and coordination details for downstream distributions.

The EPSS score rose materially from a low baseline to a peak of 0.2963 on 2025-01-22 before receding, indicating that exploitation interest developed after the original disclosure and that the CVE merits renewed attention.

EU & UK References

Vulnerability Data

A flaw was found in the networking subsystem of the Linux kernel within the handling of the RPL protocol. This issue results from the lack of proper handling of user-supplied data, which can lead to an assertion failure. This may…

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allow an unauthenticated remote attacker to create a denial of service condition on the system.

CWE(s)

Related Threats

MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise Techniques

T1001 Data Obfuscation Command And Control
Adversaries may obfuscate command and control traffic to make it more difficult to detect.
T1003 OS Credential Dumping Credential Access
Adversaries may attempt to dump credentials to obtain account login and credential material, normally in the form of a hash or a clear text password.
T1003.001 LSASS Memory Credential Access
Adversaries may attempt to access credential material stored in the process memory of the Local Security Authority Subsystem Service (LSASS).
T1003.003 NTDS Credential Access
Adversaries may attempt to access or create a copy of the Active Directory domain database in order to steal credential information, as well as obtain other information about domain members such as devices, users, and access rights.
T1003.004 LSA Secrets Credential Access
Adversaries with SYSTEM access to a host may attempt to access Local Security Authority (LSA) secrets, which can contain a variety of different credential materials, such as credentials for service accounts.
T1003.007 Proc Filesystem Credential Access
Adversaries may gather credentials from the proc filesystem or `/proc`.
Derived from this CVE’s CWE(s) via the direct CWE→ATT&CK cross-walk.

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Affected Assets

linux
linux kernel
5.7 — 5.10.184 · 5.11 — 5.15.117 · 5.16 — 6.1.34
redhat
enterprise linux
9.0
fedoraproject
fedora
38
debian
debian linux
10.0

Mitigating Controls

Mitigating Controls (NIST CSF 2.0) AI

Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→CSF cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.

DE.CM-09 partial match
blocks

Runtime monitoring of software can detect assertion-triggered crashes as adverse events.

ID.RA-01 partial match
blocks

Vulnerability identification processes can discover and record reachable-assertion flaws before deployment.

PR.PS-06 partial match
blocks

Secure SDLC practices directly prevent unsafe assertions from being coded in reachable paths.

Mitigating Controls (ISO/IEC 27001:2022 Annex A) AI

Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→ISO cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.

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References