CVE-2023-54199
NoneCVSS
—
EPSS
0.2%
Published
Dec 30, 2025
CISA due date
—
Cloudanix analysis
A bug in the graphics driver can make the whole computer crash when certain graphics hardware is used.
- Exploitation
- Local Privilege
- Attacker needs
- Local User
- Complexity
- Low
- Impact
- Denial Of Service
- Component
- OS kernel
- Class
- Memory Corruption
- Remediation
- Patch
- Effort
- Medium
- Patch risk
- Low
What it actually does
Null pointer dereference inside adreno_gpu_cleanup() during Adreno GPU driver teardown produces a level-1 translation fault and kernel panic.
Why it matters to the business
Systems using affected Linux kernels with Adreno graphics hardware experience sudden crashes and loss of service; high ecosystem prevalence in embedded and mobile Linux deployments amplifies operational disruption.
How an attack unfolds
An attacker with local code execution or the ability to trigger GPU device probe/teardown paths causes the driver to call adreno_gpu_cleanup() on an incompletely initialized structure, dereferencing a null pointer and crashing the kernel.
How to fix it
Update the Linux kernel to a version containing commit 65a8b6d129cfcf63a2b8a36a63d275479ba6a217 or later; rebuild and deploy the fixed kernel image to all affected systems.
How to confirm the fix worked
Confirm the running kernel contains commit 65a8b6d129cfcf63a2b8a36a63d275479ba6a217, reproduce the probe sequence in a test environment, and verify absence of the NULL dereference panic.
Typical attack path
- Obtain local execution context on target system
- Trigger adreno device probe or removal (via module load, DRM bind, or hardware hotplug)
- Reach a6xx_gpu_init path that invokes adreno_gpu_cleanup on partial initialization
- Kernel dereferences null pointer at offset 0x48 and panics
How to detect it
Search kernel logs and dmesg for the strings 'adreno_gpu_cleanup', 'Unable to handle kernel NULL pointer dereference', and the call trace containing a6xx_destroy and a6xx_gpu_init.
- adreno_gpu_cleanup+0x30/0x88
- a6xx_destroy+0xc0/0x130
- Unable to handle kernel NULL pointer dereference at virtual address 0000000000000048
- ESR = 0x0000000096000005
What your security team should do
- Apply the referenced upstream commit immediately on all Adreno-equipped Linux systems
- Prioritize kernel updates for internet-facing or multi-tenant hosts first
- Monitor vendor backports for distribution kernels and schedule staged rollouts
The record
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: drm/msm/adreno: Fix null ptr access in adreno_gpu_cleanup() Fix the below kernel panic due to null pointer access: [ 18.504431] Unable to handle kernel NULL pointer dereference at virtual address 0000000000000048 [ 18.513464] Mem abort info: [ 18.516346] ESR = 0x0000000096000005 [ 18.520204] EC = 0x25: DABT (current EL), IL = 32 bits [ 18.525706] SET = 0, FnV = 0 [ 18.528878] EA = 0, S1PTW = 0 [ 18.532117] FSC = 0x05: level 1 translation fault [ 18.537138] Data abort info: [ 18.540110] ISV = 0, ISS = 0x00000005 [ 18.544060] CM = 0, WnR = 0 [ 18.547109] user pgtable: 4k pages, 39-bit VAs, pgdp=0000000112826000 [ 18.553738] [0000000000000048] pgd=0000000000000000, p4d=0000000000000000, pud=0000000000000000 [ 18.562690] Internal error: Oops: 0000000096000005 [#1] PREEMPT SMP **Snip** [ 18.696758] Call trace: [ 18.699278] adreno_gpu_cleanup+0x30/0x88 [ 18.703396] a6xx_destroy+0xc0/0x130 [ 18.707066] a6xx_gpu_init+0x308/0x424 [ 18.710921] adreno_bind+0x178/0x288 [ 18.714590] component_bind_all+0xe0/0x214 [ 18.718797] msm_drm_bind+0x1d4/0x614 [ 18.722566] try_to_bring_up_aggregate_device+0x16c/0x1b8 [ 18.728105] __component_add+0xa0/0x158 [ 18.732048] component_add+0x20/0x2c [ 18.735719] adreno_probe+0x40/0xc0 [ 18.739300] platform_probe+0xb4/0xd4 [ 18.743068] really_probe+0xfc/0x284 [ 18.746738] __driver_probe_device+0xc0/0xec [ 18.751129] driver_probe_device+0x48/0x110 [ 18.755421] __device_attach_driver+0xa8/0xd0 [ 18.759900] bus_for_each_drv+0x90/0xdc [ 18.763843] __device_attach+0xfc/0x174 [ 18.767786] device_initial_probe+0x20/0x2c [ 18.772090] bus_probe_device+0x40/0xa0 [ 18.776032] deferred_probe_work_func+0x94/0xd0 [ 18.780686] process_one_work+0x190/0x3d0 [ 18.784805] worker_thread+0x280/0x3d4 [ 18.788659] kthread+0x104/0x1c0 [ 18.791981] ret_from_fork+0x10/0x20 [ 18.795654] Code: f9400408 aa0003f3 aa1f03f4 91142015 (f9402516) [ 18.801913] ---[ end trace 0000000000000000 ]--- [ 18.809039] Kernel panic - not syncing: Oops: Fatal exception Patchwork: https://patchwork.freedesktop.org/patch/515605/
Affected packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Introduced | Fixed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Linux | Kernel | 5.9.0 | 5.10.173 |
| 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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