CVE-2023-52469

What it actually does

A use-after-free vulnerability occurs when a power management structure is freed prematurely in kv_parse_power_table but subsequently accessed in kv_dpm_fini during AMD GPU driver initialization and cleanup.

Why it matters to the business

Attackers could crash the kernel or potentially execute arbitrary code with elevated privileges on systems using affected AMD graphics hardware, leading to system instability and security breaches.

How an attack unfolds

An attacker with local access triggers the AMD power management initialization path that allocates and frees the power table incorrectly, causing the use-after-free during finalization.

How to fix it

Update the Linux kernel to a version containing commit 8a27d9d9fc9b5564b8904c3a77a7dea482bfa34e or later.

How to confirm the fix worked

Verify the kernel source includes the fix commit or check for absence of the vulnerable code path in drivers/gpu/drm/amd/pm/powerplay/kv_dpm.c.

Typical attack path

1. Obtain local access to a vulnerable system
2. Trigger AMD GPU driver power table parsing
3. Cause the null allocation path in kv_parse_power_table
4. Invoke kv_dpm_fini to access freed memory

How to detect it

Look for kernel logs indicating use-after-free in AMD powerplay drivers or crashes during GPU initialization.

What your security team should do

• Apply the kernel patch immediately
• Monitor for kernel panics related to AMD power management
• Restrict local access where possible until patched