CVE-2023-52927
Memory Safety in Linux Kernel 5.18 – 6.1.130
Raw vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:HCVSS and EPSS are reproduced from their sources (NVD, FIRST EPSS). Risk Priority is our own derived reading, not an NVD score.
Summary
CVE-2023-52927 is a high-severity Use After Free (CWE-416) vulnerability in Linux Linux Kernel. Its CVSS base score is 7.8 (High).
Operationally, exploitation aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique Exploitation for Client Execution (T1203); ranked at the 18th percentile by exploit likelihood (below the median); it is not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog; a public proof-of-concept is referenced.
The strongest mitigations our analysis identified map to SA-11 (Developer Testing and Evaluation) and SA-8 (Security and Privacy Engineering Principles) — see the control section below for these in your framework.
Deeper analysis AI-assisted summary
Synthesised by an AI model from the NVD description and linked references — a reading aid, not an authoritative source.
CVE-2023-52927 is a vulnerability in the Linux kernel's netfilter subsystem, specifically affecting the nf_ct_find_expectation() function called by nf_conntrack_in(). This function currently removes the expectation (exp) entry from the hash table, but in certain scenarios—such as those involving Open vSwitch (OVS) and TC conntrack—the expectation should remain if the created connection tracking (ct) entry is not confirmed. Classified as CWE-416 (Use After Free), it carries a CVSS v3.1 base score of 7.8 (AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H) and was published on 2025-03-14.
A local attacker with low privileges (PR:L) can exploit this vulnerability with low attack complexity and no user interaction. Successful exploitation enables high impacts on confidentiality, integrity, and availability, potentially through use-after-free conditions leading to arbitrary code execution, data corruption, or system crashes within the kernel context.
Mitigation is available through patches applied to Linux kernel stable branches, including commits 3fa58a6fbd1e9e5682d09cdafb08fba004cb12ec and 4914109a8e1e494c6aa9852f9e84ec77a5fc643f at git.kernel.org/stable. Debian LTS has issued announcements for affected systems, as noted in their May 2025 advisory. Further analysis is provided in the referenced blog post at seadragnol.github.io/posts/CVE-2023-52927/.
EU & UK References
- 🇪🇺 ENISA EUVD: EUVD-2023-59682
Vulnerability Data
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: netfilter: allow exp not to be removed in nf_ct_find_expectation Currently nf_conntrack_in() calling nf_ct_find_expectation() will remove the exp from the hash table. However, in some scenario, we expect the exp not…
more
to be removed when the created ct will not be confirmed, like in OVS and TC conntrack in the following patches. This patch allows exp not to be removed by setting IPS_CONFIRMED in the status of the tmpl.
- CWE(s)
Related Threats
MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise Techniques
CVEs Like This One
Affected Assets
Mitigating Controls
Control response
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- 3 hardening rules · 3 OS baselines
V1.4.3
Mitigating Controls (NIST 800-53 r5) AI
Developer testing and evaluation can discover use-after-free bugs through dynamic analysis or fuzzing.
Engineering principles can require memory-safe constructs or languages that structurally avoid introducing use-after-free.
Process isolation confines the blast radius of use-after-free memory corruption to a single execution domain.
Memory protection controls limit exploitation impact by blocking unauthorized code execution from dangling pointers.
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.
Secure SDLC practices directly incorporate memory-safety tooling and reviews that prevent most use-after-free defects.
Vulnerability identification processes can discover use-after-free issues via scanning or analysis but do not prevent their introduction.
Routine patching removes known use-after-free instances after they have been introduced in released software.
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.
Security testing in development can detect use-after-free bugs before release.
Secure SDLC mandates memory-safety practices that reduce use-after-free defects.
Application security requirements can specify memory-management rules that mitigate use-after-free.
Secure architecture principles include memory-safety design choices that limit use-after-free exposure.
Secure coding standards directly prescribe avoidance of use-after-free patterns.
Change-management processes help ensure memory-safety fixes are deployed consistently.
Hardening callouts derived
Configuration rules from DISA STIG baselines that bear on weaknesses of the type cited by this CVE. Each rule is shown with the relationship its mapping actually records, against the CWE it was authored against. Derived via CVE→CWE over `controls_xwalks` (authoritative rows only; rows rated `none` are excluded).
Oracle Linux 8 (1 rule)
- V-248592 OL 8 must clear memory when it is freed to prevent use-after-free attacks. prevents CWE-416
RHEL 8 (1 rule)
- V-230279 RHEL 8 must clear memory when it is freed to prevent use-after-free attacks. prevents CWE-416
RHEL 9 (1 rule)
- V-257794 RHEL 9 must clear memory when it is freed to prevent use-after-free attacks. prevents CWE-416