CVE-2023-53761
NoneCVSS
—
EPSS
0.2%
Published
Dec 8, 2025
CISA due date
—
Cloudanix analysis
A programming mistake in the Linux USB driver for certain test instruments lets a local user send a specially crafted zero-length command that triggers a kernel warning message.
- Exploitation
- Local Privilege
- Attacker needs
- Local User
- Complexity
- Low
- Impact
- Other
- Component
- OS kernel
- Class
- Improper Input Validation
- Remediation
- Patch
- Effort
- Medium
- Patch risk
- Low
What it actually does
The usbtmc driver fails to override bRequestType direction to OUT for zero-length control transfers submitted via ioctl, allowing mismatched pipe direction to reach usb_submit_urb and trigger a kernel warning.
Why it matters to the business
Systems exposing USB test-and-measurement devices may experience kernel log spam or unexpected driver behavior when unprivileged users issue crafted zero-length control requests, increasing support overhead on affected Linux deployments.
How an attack unfolds
A local attacker opens a usbtmc device node and issues an ioctl control request specifying zero length but an IN direction in bRequestType; the missing override allows the URB to be submitted with an inconsistent direction, surfacing the warning path in usb_submit_urb.
How to fix it
Upgrade the Linux kernel to a version containing the fix that forces the OUT direction for zero-length usbtmc control messages; for the listed Ubuntu package apply the corresponding 4.15.0-1123.136~14.04.1 or newer linux-azure update.
How to confirm the fix worked
Confirm the patched kernel is running, then attempt a zero-length OUT control ioctl and verify absence of the BOGUS control dir warning in dmesg; review usbtmc.c for the direction override logic around line 1954.
Typical attack path
- Locate a usbtmc character device node exposed by the kernel
- Open the device with appropriate permissions
- Craft an ioctl request structure with wLength set to zero and bRequestType indicating an IN transfer
- Submit the request; the driver omits the required direction correction
- usb_submit_urb logs the BOGUS control dir warning
How to detect it
Search kernel logs for the exact string "BOGUS control dir, pipe" combined with usbtmc or usb_submit_urb stack traces; inspect audit logs for unusual ioctl calls on usbtmc character devices.
What your security team should do
- Prioritize kernel updates on any host that loads the usbtmc module or exposes USB TMC devices
- Restrict unprivileged access to usbtmc device nodes via udev rules or device ACLs until patches are applied
- Monitor EPSS and KEV status for any future increase in observed exploitation
The record
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: USB: usbtmc: Fix direction for 0-length ioctl control messages The syzbot fuzzer found a problem in the usbtmc driver: When a user submits an ioctl for a 0-length control transfer, the driver does not check that the direction is set to OUT: ------------[ cut here ]------------ usb 3-1: BOGUS control dir, pipe 80000b80 doesn't match bRequestType fd WARNING: CPU: 0 PID: 5100 at drivers/usb/core/urb.c:411 usb_submit_urb+0x14a7/0x1880 drivers/usb/core/urb.c:411 Modules linked in: CPU: 0 PID: 5100 Comm: syz-executor428 Not tainted 6.3.0-syzkaller-12049-g58390c8ce1bd #0 Hardware name: Google Google Compute Engine/Google Compute Engine, BIOS Google 04/14/2023 RIP: 0010:usb_submit_urb+0x14a7/0x1880 drivers/usb/core/urb.c:411 Code: 7c 24 40 e8 1b 13 5c fb 48 8b 7c 24 40 e8 21 1d f0 fe 45 89 e8 44 89 f1 4c 89 e2 48 89 c6 48 c7 c7 e0 b5 fc 8a e8 19 c8 23 fb <0f> 0b e9 9f ee ff ff e8 ed 12 5c fb 0f b6 1d 12 8a 3c 08 31 ff 41 RSP: 0018:ffffc90003d2fb00 EFLAGS: 00010282 RAX: 0000000000000000 RBX: ffff8880789e9058 RCX: 0000000000000000 RDX: ffff888029593b80 RSI: ffffffff814c1447 RDI: 0000000000000001 RBP: ffff88801ea742f8 R08: 0000000000000001 R09: 0000000000000000 R10: 0000000000000001 R11: 0000000000000001 R12: ffff88802915e528 R13: 00000000000000fd R14: 0000000080000b80 R15: ffff8880222b3100 FS: 0000555556ca63c0(0000) GS:ffff8880b9800000(0000) knlGS:0000000000000000 CS: 0010 DS: 0000 ES: 0000 CR0: 0000000080050033 CR2: 00007f9ef4d18150 CR3: 0000000073e5b000 CR4: 00000000003506f0 DR0: 0000000000000000 DR1: 0000000000000000 DR2: 0000000000000000 DR3: 0000000000000000 DR6: 00000000fffe0ff0 DR7: 0000000000000400 Call Trace: <TASK> usb_start_wait_urb+0x101/0x4b0 drivers/usb/core/message.c:58 usb_internal_control_msg drivers/usb/core/message.c:102 [inline] usb_control_msg+0x320/0x4a0 drivers/usb/core/message.c:153 usbtmc_ioctl_request drivers/usb/class/usbtmc.c:1954 [inline] usbtmc_ioctl+0x1b3d/0x2840 drivers/usb/class/usbtmc.c:2097 To fix this, we must override the direction in the bRequestType field of the control request structure when the length is 0.
Affected packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Introduced | Fixed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Linux | Kernel | 0 | 5.4.244 |
| Linux | Kernel | 4.20.0 | 5.4.244 |
| SUSE:Linux Enterprise High Availability Extension 15 SP4 | kernel-default | 0 | 5.14.21-150400.24.194.1 |
| SUSE:Linux Enterprise High Performance Computing 15 SP4-ESPOS | kernel-64kb | 0 | 5.14.21-150400.24.194.1 |
| SUSE:Linux Enterprise High Performance Computing 15 SP4-ESPOS | kernel-default | 0 | 5.14.21-150400.24.194.1 |
| SUSE:Linux Enterprise High Performance Computing 15 SP4-ESPOS | kernel-default-base | 0 | 5.14.21-150400.24.194.1.150400.24.98.3 |
| SUSE:Linux Enterprise High Performance Computing 15 SP4-ESPOS | kernel-docs | 0 | 5.14.21-150400.24.194.1 |
| SUSE:Linux Enterprise High Performance Computing 15 SP4-ESPOS | kernel-obs-build | 0 | 5.14.21-150400.24.194.1 |
| SUSE:Linux Enterprise High Performance Computing 15 SP4-ESPOS | kernel-source | 0 | 5.14.21-150400.24.194.1 |
| SUSE:Linux Enterprise High Performance Computing 15 SP4-ESPOS | kernel-syms | 0 | 5.14.21-150400.24.194.1 |
| SUSE:Linux Enterprise High Performance Computing 15 SP4-LTSS | kernel-64kb | 0 | 5.14.21-150400.24.194.1 |
| SUSE:Linux Enterprise High Performance Computing 15 SP4-LTSS | kernel-default | 0 | 5.14.21-150400.24.194.1 |
| SUSE:Linux Enterprise High Performance Computing 15 SP4-LTSS | kernel-default-base | 0 | 5.14.21-150400.24.194.1.150400.24.98.3 |
| SUSE:Linux Enterprise High Performance Computing 15 SP4-LTSS | kernel-docs | 0 | 5.14.21-150400.24.194.1 |
| SUSE:Linux Enterprise High Performance Computing 15 SP4-LTSS | kernel-obs-build | 0 | 5.14.21-150400.24.194.1 |
| SUSE:Linux Enterprise High Performance Computing 15 SP4-LTSS | kernel-source | 0 | 5.14.21-150400.24.194.1 |
| SUSE:Linux Enterprise High Performance Computing 15 SP4-LTSS | kernel-syms | 0 | 5.14.21-150400.24.194.1 |
| SUSE:Linux Enterprise Live Patching 15 SP4 | kernel-default | 0 | 5.14.21-150400.24.194.1 |
| SUSE:Linux Enterprise Live Patching 15 SP4 | kernel-livepatch-SLE15-SP4_Update_48 | 0 | 1-150400.9.7.1 |
| SUSE:Linux Enterprise Micro 5.3 | kernel-default | 0 | 5.14.21-150400.24.194.1 |
| SUSE:Linux Enterprise Micro 5.3 | kernel-default-base | 0 | 5.14.21-150400.24.194.1.150400.24.98.3 |
| SUSE:Linux Enterprise Micro 5.3 | kernel-rt | 0 | 5.14.21-150400.15.142.1 |
| SUSE:Linux Enterprise Micro 5.3 | kernel-source-rt | 0 | 5.14.21-150400.15.142.1 |
| SUSE:Linux Enterprise Micro 5.4 | kernel-default | 0 | 5.14.21-150400.24.194.1 |
| SUSE:Linux Enterprise Micro 5.4 | kernel-default-base | 0 | 5.14.21-150400.24.194.1.150400.24.98.3 |
| SUSE:Linux Enterprise Micro 5.4 | kernel-rt | 0 | 5.14.21-150400.15.142.1 |
| SUSE:Linux Enterprise Micro 5.4 | kernel-source-rt | 0 | 5.14.21-150400.15.142.1 |
| SUSE:Linux Enterprise Micro 5.5 | kernel-rt | 0 | 5.14.21-150500.13.118.1 |
| SUSE:Linux Enterprise Micro 5.5 | kernel-source-rt | 0 | 5.14.21-150500.13.118.1 |
| SUSE:Linux Enterprise Server 15 SP4-LTSS | kernel-64kb | 0 | 5.14.21-150400.24.194.1 |
| SUSE:Linux Enterprise Server 15 SP4-LTSS | kernel-default | 0 | 5.14.21-150400.24.194.1 |
| SUSE:Linux Enterprise Server 15 SP4-LTSS | kernel-default-base | 0 | 5.14.21-150400.24.194.1.150400.24.98.3 |
| SUSE:Linux Enterprise Server 15 SP4-LTSS | kernel-docs | 0 | 5.14.21-150400.24.194.1 |
| SUSE:Linux Enterprise Server 15 SP4-LTSS | kernel-obs-build | 0 | 5.14.21-150400.24.194.1 |
| SUSE:Linux Enterprise Server 15 SP4-LTSS | kernel-source | 0 | 5.14.21-150400.24.194.1 |
| SUSE:Linux Enterprise Server 15 SP4-LTSS | kernel-syms | 0 | 5.14.21-150400.24.194.1 |
| SUSE:Linux Enterprise Server 15 SP4-LTSS | kernel-zfcpdump | 0 | 5.14.21-150400.24.194.1 |
| SUSE:Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications 15 SP4 | kernel-default | 0 | 5.14.21-150400.24.194.1 |
| SUSE:Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications 15 SP4 | kernel-default-base | 0 | 5.14.21-150400.24.194.1.150400.24.98.3 |
| SUSE:Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications 15 SP4 | kernel-docs | 0 | 5.14.21-150400.24.194.1 |
| SUSE:Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications 15 SP4 | kernel-obs-build | 0 | 5.14.21-150400.24.194.1 |
| SUSE:Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications 15 SP4 | kernel-source | 0 | 5.14.21-150400.24.194.1 |
| SUSE:Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications 15 SP4 | kernel-syms | 0 | 5.14.21-150400.24.194.1 |
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