CVE-2023-52465

What it actually does

Null pointer dereference in smb2_probe when devm_kasprintf or devm_kzalloc returns NULL, resulting in kernel crash on failure path.

Why it matters to the business

Linux systems may suffer sudden crashes or loss of availability during power supply device initialization, increasing downtime risk on servers, laptops, and embedded devices using affected kernels.

How an attack unfolds

An attacker with local access triggers the power supply probe function under memory pressure or specific hardware conditions to force allocation failure and dereference the NULL pointer.

How to fix it

Update the Linux kernel to include commit e2717302fbc20f148bcda362facee0444b949a3a or later fixed versions from the stable repository.

How to confirm the fix worked

Confirm the fix commit is present in the running kernel source tree or verify updated kernel packages are installed and reboot.

Typical attack path

1. Gain local user access on target system
2. Induce low-memory conditions or load specific power-related modules
3. Trigger smb2_probe during device enumeration or module initialization
4. Cause kernel panic via NULL dereference

How to detect it

Review kernel logs and dmesg output for oops or panic messages referencing smb2_probe, power supply, or null pointer dereferences during device probe.

• smb2_probe
• devm_kasprintf
• power_supply
• null pointer dereference

What your security team should do

• Apply the referenced kernel commit or distribution security update as soon as possible
• Prioritize systems with power supply or battery management dependencies
• Test patched kernels in staging before broad deployment
• Monitor for kernel stability after patching