CVE-2023-52864: platform/x86: wmi: Fix opening of char device

Severity: high (CVSS 7.8 v3.1)
Exploited in the wild: not listed in CISA KEV
EPSS: 0.3% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days
Public exploit or detection template: none known
Published: 2024-05-21 · updated 2026-08-04
Weakness: CWE-787

Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: platform/x86: wmi: Fix opening of char device Since commit fa1f68db6ca7 ("drivers: misc: pass miscdevice pointer via file private data"), the miscdevice stores a pointer to itself inside filp->private_data, which means that private_data will not be NULL when wmi_char_open() is called. This might cause memory corruption should wmi_char_open() be unable to find its driver, something which can happen when the associated WMI device is deleted in wmi_free_devices(). Fix the problem by using the miscdevice pointer to retrieve the WMI device data associated with a char device using container_of(). This also avoids wmi_char_open() picking a wrong WMI device bound to a driver with the same name as the original driver.

Affected products

Linux kernel: from 4.15 before 4.19.299; from 4.20 before 5.4.261; from 5.5 before 5.10.201; from 5.11 before 5.15.139; from 5.16 before 6.1.63; from 6.2 before 6.5.12 — fixed in 4.19.299, 5.10.201, 5.15.139, 5.4.261, 6.1.63, 6.5.12

How to fix

Upgrade to a fixed version: Linux kernel 4.19.299, 5.10.201, 5.15.139, 5.4.261. Check the vendor advisory for mitigations.

References

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