CVE-2023-53798
published 2025-12-09CVE-2023-53798: In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: ethtool: Fix uninitialized number of lanes It is not possible to set the number of lanes…
PriorityP421low5.5
EPSS
0.19%
9.4th percentile
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:
ethtool: Fix uninitialized number of lanes
It is not possible to set the number of lanes when setting link modes
using the legacy IOCTL ethtool interface. Since 'struct
ethtool_link_ksettings' is not initialized in this path, drivers receive
an uninitialized number of lanes in 'struct
ethtool_link_ksettings::lanes'.
When this information is later queried from drivers, it results in the
ethtool code making decisions based on uninitialized memory, leading to
the following KMSAN splat [1]. In practice, this most likely only
happens with the tun driver that simply returns whatever it got in the
set operation.
As far as I can tell, this uninitialized memory is not leaked to user
space thanks to the 'ethtool_ops->cap_link_lanes_supported' check in
linkmodes_prepare_data().
Fix by initializing the structure in the IOCTL path. Did not find any
more call sites that pass an uninitialized structure when calling
'ethtool_ops::set_link_ksettings()'.
[1]
BUG: KMSAN: uninit-value in ethnl_update_linkmodes net/ethtool/linkmodes.c:273 [inline]
BUG: KMSAN: uninit-value in ethnl_set_linkmodes+0x190b/0x19d0 net/ethtool/linkmodes.c:333
ethnl_update_linkmodes net/ethtool/linkmodes.c:273 [inline]
ethnl_set_linkmodes+0x190b/0x19d0 net/ethtool/linkmodes.c:333
ethnl_default_set_doit+0x88d/0xde0 net/ethtool/netlink.c:640
genl_family_rcv_msg_doit net/netlink/genetlink.c:968 [inline]
genl_family_rcv_msg net/netlink/genetlink.c:1048 [inline]
genl_rcv_msg+0x141a/0x14c0 net/netlink/genetlink.c:1065
netlink_rcv_skb+0x3f8/0x750 net/netlink/af_netlink.c:2577
genl_rcv+0x40/0x60 net/netlink/genetlink.c:1076
netlink_unicast_kernel net/netlink/af_netlink.c:1339 [inline]
netlink_unicast+0xf41/0x1270 net/netlink/af_netlink.c:1365
netlink_sendmsg+0x127d/0x1430 net/netlink/af_netlink.c:1942
sock_sendmsg_nosec net/socket.c:724 [inline]
sock_sendmsg net/socket.c:747 [inline]
____sys_sendmsg+0xa24/0xe40 net/socket.c:2501
___sys_sendmsg+0x
Affected
14 ranges
| Vendor | Product | Version range | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|---|
| debian | linux | < linux 6.1.37-1 (bookworm) | linux 6.1.37-1 (bookworm) |
| linux | linux | — | — |
| linux | linux | >= 012ce4dd3102a0f4d80167de343e9d44b257c1b8 < da81af0ef8092ecacd87fac3229c29e2e0ce39fd | da81af0ef8092ecacd87fac3229c29e2e0ce39fd |
| linux | linux | >= 012ce4dd3102a0f4d80167de343e9d44b257c1b8 < 942a2a0184f7bb1c1ae4bbc556559c86c054b0d2 | 942a2a0184f7bb1c1ae4bbc556559c86c054b0d2 |
| linux | linux | >= 012ce4dd3102a0f4d80167de343e9d44b257c1b8 < 6456d80045d6de47734b1a3879c91f72af186529 | 6456d80045d6de47734b1a3879c91f72af186529 |
| linux | linux | >= 012ce4dd3102a0f4d80167de343e9d44b257c1b8 < 72808c4ab5fd01bf1214195005e15b434bf55cef | 72808c4ab5fd01bf1214195005e15b434bf55cef |
| linux | linux | >= 012ce4dd3102a0f4d80167de343e9d44b257c1b8 < 9ad685dbfe7e856bbf17a7177b64676d324d6ed7 | 9ad685dbfe7e856bbf17a7177b64676d324d6ed7 |
| linux | linux_kernel | >= 0 < 6.1.37-1 | 6.1.37-1 |
| linux | linux_kernel | >= 0 < 6.3.7-1 | 6.3.7-1 |
| linux | linux_kernel | >= 0 < 6.3.7-1 | 6.3.7-1 |
| linux | linux_kernel | >= 5.12.0 < 5.15.112 | 5.15.112 |
| linux | linux_kernel | >= 5.16.0 < 6.1.29 | 6.1.29 |
| linux | linux_kernel | >= 6.2.0 < 6.2.16 | 6.2.16 |
| linux | linux_kernel | >= 6.3.0 < 6.3.3 | 6.3.3 |
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OSV
CVE-2023-53798: In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: ethtool: Fix uninitialized number of lanes It is not possible to set the number of
osv·2025-12-09
CVE-2023-53798 CVE-2023-53798: In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: ethtool: Fix uninitialized number of lanes It is not possible to set the number of
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: ethtool: Fix uninitialized number of lanes It is not possible to set the number of lanes when setting link modes using the legacy IOCTL ethtool interface. Since 'struct ethtool_link_ksettings' is not initialized in this path, drivers receive an uninitialized number of lanes in 'struct ethtool_link_ksettings::lanes'. When this information is later queried from drivers, it results in the ethtool code making decisions based on uninitialized memory, leading to the following KMSAN splat [1]. In practice, this most likely only happens with the tun driver that simply returns whatever it got in the set operation. As far as I can tell, this uninitialized memory is not leaked to user space thanks to the 'ethtool_ops->cap_link_lanes_
OSV
ethtool: Fix uninitialized number of lanes
osv·2025-12-09
CVE-2023-53798 ethtool: Fix uninitialized number of lanes
ethtool: Fix uninitialized number of lanes
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:
ethtool: Fix uninitialized number of lanes
It is not possible to set the number of lanes when setting link modes
using the legacy IOCTL ethtool interface. Since 'struct
ethtool_link_ksettings' is not initialized in this path, drivers receive
an uninitialized number of lanes in 'struct
ethtool_link_ksettings::lanes'.
When this information is later queried from drivers, it results in the
ethtool code making decisions based on uninitialized memory, leading to
the following KMSAN splat [1]. In practice, this most likely only
happens with the tun driver that simply returns whatever it got in the
set operation.
As far as I can tell, this uninitialized memory is not leaked to user
s
GHSA
GHSA-rhrj-6hqh-9pgr: In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:
ethtool: Fix uninitialized number of lanes
It is not possible to set the number
ghsa_unreviewed·2025-12-09
CVE-2023-53798 GHSA-rhrj-6hqh-9pgr: In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:
ethtool: Fix uninitialized number of lanes
It is not possible to set the number
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:
ethtool: Fix uninitialized number of lanes
It is not possible to set the number of lanes when setting link modes
using the legacy IOCTL ethtool interface. Since 'struct
ethtool_link_ksettings' is not initialized in this path, drivers receive
an uninitialized number of lanes in 'struct
ethtool_link_ksettings::lanes'.
When this information is later queried from drivers, it results in the
ethtool code making decisions based on uninitialized memory, leading to
the following KMSAN splat [1]. In practice, this most likely only
happens with the tun driver that simply returns whatever it got in the
set operation.
As far as I can tell, this uninitialized memory is not leaked to user
space thanks to the 'ethtool_ops->cap_link_la
Red Hat
kernel: ethtool: Fix uninitialized number of lanes
vendor_redhat·2025-12-09·CVSS 5.5
CVE-2023-53798 [LOW] CWE-908 kernel: ethtool: Fix uninitialized number of lanes
kernel: ethtool: Fix uninitialized number of lanes
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:
ethtool: Fix uninitialized number of lanes
It is not possible to set the number of lanes when setting link modes
using the legacy IOCTL ethtool interface. Since 'struct
ethtool_link_ksettings' is not initialized in this path, drivers receive
an uninitialized number of lanes in 'struct
ethtool_link_ksettings::lanes'.
When this information is later queried from drivers, it results in the
ethtool code making decisions based on uninitialized memory, leading to
the following KMSAN splat [1]. In practice, this most likely only
happens with the tun driver that simply returns whatever it got in the
set operation.
As far as I can tell, this uninitialized memory is not leaked to us
Debian
CVE-2023-53798: linux - In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: ethtool: Fi...
vendor_debian·2023
CVE-2023-53798 CVE-2023-53798: linux - In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: ethtool: Fi...
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: ethtool: Fix uninitialized number of lanes It is not possible to set the number of lanes when setting link modes using the legacy IOCTL ethtool interface. Since 'struct ethtool_link_ksettings' is not initialized in this path, drivers receive an uninitialized number of lanes in 'struct ethtool_link_ksettings::lanes'. When this information is later queried from drivers, it results in the ethtool code making decisions based on uninitialized memory, leading to the following KMSAN splat [1]. In practice, this most likely only happens with the tun driver that simply returns whatever it got in the set operation. As far as I can tell, this uninitialized memory is not leaked to user space thanks to the 'ethtool_ops->cap_link_lanes_
No detection rules found.
No public exploits indexed.
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/6456d80045d6de47734b1a3879c91f72af186529https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/72808c4ab5fd01bf1214195005e15b434bf55cefhttps://git.kernel.org/stable/c/942a2a0184f7bb1c1ae4bbc556559c86c054b0d2https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/9ad685dbfe7e856bbf17a7177b64676d324d6ed7https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/da81af0ef8092ecacd87fac3229c29e2e0ce39fd
2025-12-09
Published