CVE-2023-39198: Kernel: qxl: race condition leading to use-after-free in qxl_mode_dumb_create()

Severity: medium (CVSS 6.4 v3.1)
Exploited in the wild: not listed in CISA KEV
EPSS: 0.4% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days
Public exploit or detection template: none known
Published: 2023-11-09 · updated 2026-06-17
Weakness: CWE-416

Description

A race condition was found in the QXL driver in the Linux kernel. The qxl_mode_dumb_create() function dereferences the qobj returned by the qxl_gem_object_create_with_handle(), but the handle is the only one holding a reference to it. This flaw allows an attacker to guess the returned handle value and trigger a use-after-free issue, potentially leading to a denial of service or privilege escalation.

Affected products

Fedoraproject Fedora: 38
Linux kernel: before 6.5; 6.5-rc1, 6.5-rc2, 6.5-rc3, 6.5-rc4, 6.5-rc5, 6.5-rc6 — fixed in 6.5
Red Hat Enterprise Linux: 8.0, 9.0

How to fix

Upgrade to a fixed version: Linux kernel 6.5. Check the vendor advisory for mitigations.

References

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