Cyber Resilience

CVE-2023-6915

Memory Safety in Linux Kernel ≤ 6.7

Memory Safety
Published
15 January 2024
Modified
21 November 2024
Patch / advisory
View advisory
CVSS Score v3.1 6.2
Click a component to see what it means
Raw vectorCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
EPSS Score 0.0026 17th percentile
Risk Priority 35 floored blend · peak EPSS

Summary

CVE-2023-6915 is a medium-severity NULL Pointer Dereference (CWE-476) vulnerability in Linux Linux Kernel. Its CVSS base score is 6.2 (Medium).

Operationally, exploitation aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique Application or System Exploitation (T1499.004); ranked at the 17th percentile by exploit likelihood (below the median); it is not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog.

OWASP Top 10 for Web (2025)

A10:2025 Mishandling of Exceptional Conditions

EU & UK References

Vulnerability Data

A Null pointer dereference problem was found in ida_free in lib/idr.c in the Linux Kernel. This issue may allow an attacker using this library to cause a denial of service problem due to a missing check at a function return.

CWE(s)
CWE-476

Related Threats

MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise TechniquesAI

T1499.004 Application or System Exploitation Impact
Adversaries may exploit software vulnerabilities that can cause an application or system to crash and deny availability to users.
attack.mitre.org →
Why these techniques?

Null pointer dereference in Linux kernel IDR library enables local denial of service via system crash, facilitating Endpoint Denial of Service: Application or System Exploitation.

MITRE ATLAS TechniquesAI

MITRE ATLAS techniques

AML.T0048: External Harms

CVEs Like This One

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CVE-2024-0641Same product: Linux Linux Kernel
CVE-2023-28328Same product: Linux Linux Kernel
CVE-2023-1095Same product: Linux Linux Kernel
CVE-2023-4459Same product: Linux Linux Kernel
CVE-2023-6610Same product: Linux Linux Kernel
CVE-2023-6622Same product: Linux Linux Kernel

Affected Assets

linux
linux kernel
6.7 · ≤ 6.7
redhat
enterprise linux
8.0, 9.0

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.

PR.PS-06 mostly match
prevents

Secure SDLC practices (static analysis, code review, safe coding standards) directly prevent NULL dereference bugs during development.

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.

A.8.29 Security testing in development and acceptance mostly match
detects

Security testing can detect NULL dereference defects before release.

A.8.25 Secure development life cycle partial match
prevents

Secure SDLC mandates defensive coding practices that can prevent NULL dereferences.

A.8.26 Application security requirements partial match
prevents

Application security requirements can specify input validation and pointer-safety rules.

A.8.27 Secure system architecture and engineering principles partial match
prevents

Secure architecture principles encourage defensive design that avoids unsafe pointer use.

A.8.28 Secure coding partial match
prevents

Secure coding standards directly require NULL-pointer checks and safe dereference patterns.

References