Cyber Resilience

CVE-2023-44466

Memory Safety in Linux Kernel 5.11 – 5.15.121

Public PoCMemory Safety
Published
29 September 2023
Modified
23 May 2025
Patch / advisory
CVSS Score v3.1 8.8
Click a component to see what it means
Raw vectorCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
EPSS Score 0.45 99th percentile
Risk Priority 85 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-2023-44466 is a high-severity Classic Buffer Overflow (CWE-120) vulnerability in Linux Linux Kernel. Its CVSS base score is 8.8 (High).

Operationally, exploitation aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique Exploitation for Privilege Escalation (T1068); ranked in the top 1% of CVEs by exploit likelihood; it is not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog; a public proof-of-concept is referenced.

Deeper analysis AI-assisted summary

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

The vulnerability is an integer signedness error in net/ceph/messenger_v2.c of the Linux kernel prior to version 6.4.5. It stems from ceph_decode_32 processing an untrusted length value supplied in a TCP packet, which produces a buffer overflow when handling HELLO or AUTH frames and is tracked under CWE-120.

An attacker able to reach the Ceph messenger_v2 path over the network can supply a crafted frame to trigger the overflow. The CVSS vector AV:N/AC:L/PR:L indicates that low-privileged network access is sufficient to achieve remote code execution with full impact on confidentiality, integrity, and availability.

Kernel commit a282a2f10539dce2aa619e71e1817570d557fc97 and the associated Google security advisory describe the fix that landed in 6.4.5; distributions and vendors such as NetApp have issued corresponding updates that back-port the correction. The EPSS score has remained flat at 0.1585 with no observed rise after disclosure.

EU & UK References

Vulnerability Data

An issue was discovered in net/ceph/messenger_v2.c in the Linux kernel before 6.4.5. There is an integer signedness error, leading to a buffer overflow and remote code execution via HELLO or one of the AUTH frames. This occurs because of an…

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untrusted length taken from a TCP packet in ceph_decode_32.

CWE(s)

Related Threats

MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise Techniques

T1068 Exploitation for Privilege Escalation Privilege Escalation
Adversaries may exploit software vulnerabilities in an attempt to elevate privileges.
T1190 Exploit Public-Facing Application Initial Access
Adversaries may attempt to exploit a weakness in an Internet-facing host or system to initially access a network.
T1203 Exploitation for Client Execution Execution
Adversaries may exploit software vulnerabilities in client applications to execute code.
T1210 Exploitation of Remote Services Lateral Movement
Adversaries may exploit remote services to gain unauthorized access to internal systems once inside of a network.
T1212 Exploitation for Credential Access Credential Access
Adversaries may exploit software vulnerabilities in an attempt to collect credentials.
Derived from this CVE’s CWE(s) via the direct CWE→ATT&CK cross-walk.

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CVE-2024-50131Same product: Linux Linux Kernel
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CVE-2023-52735Same product: Linux Linux Kernel
CVE-2024-53681Same product: Linux Linux Kernel
CVE-2024-56590Same product: Linux Linux Kernel

Affected Assets

linux
linux kernel
5.11 — 5.15.121 · 5.16 — 6.1.40 · 6.2 — 6.4.5

Mitigating Controls

Control response

Prevent
Stop it (NIST 800-53)

Detect
Catch it (NIST detect / respond)

Harden
Shrink the surface (DISA STIG)

Validate
Prove the fix (OWASP ASVS)
  • V5.2.1

Likely Mitigating Controls AI

Per-CVE control mapping for this CVE has not run yet; the list below is derived from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry.

addresses: CWE-120

Platform-independent managed code eliminates the need for unchecked native buffer copies that are the root cause of classic buffer overflows.

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.

PR.PS-06 mostly match
prevents

Secure development practices directly enforce bounds checking and input validation that prevent classic buffer overflows.

ID.RA-01 partial match
prevents

Vulnerability identification processes such as code review or scanning detect classic buffer overflows before exploitation.

PR.PS-02 partial match
prevents

Routine patching replaces vulnerable code containing unchecked buffer copies with corrected versions.

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.

prevents

Secure coding directly requires bounds-checked memory operations, addressing the root cause of CWE-120.

finds

Security testing in development and acceptance can detect buffer overflows through fuzzing and static analysis, though it does not prevent them at the source.

prevents

Secure development life cycle mandates processes that can include input validation and bounds checking to prevent buffer overflows.

prevents

Application security requirements can specify input-size validation and safe buffer handling to mitigate classic buffer overflows.

prevents

Secure system architecture and engineering principles promote defensive coding patterns that reduce the likelihood of unchecked buffer copies.

References