CVE-2023-53106: nfc: st-nci: Fix use after free bug in ndlc_remove due to race condition

Severity: high (CVSS 7.8 v3.1)
Exploited in the wild: not listed in CISA KEV
EPSS: 0.2% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days
Public exploit or detection template: none known
Published: 2025-05-02 · updated 2026-06-17
Weakness: CWE-416

Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: nfc: st-nci: Fix use after free bug in ndlc_remove due to race condition This bug influences both st_nci_i2c_remove and st_nci_spi_remove. Take st_nci_i2c_remove as an example. In st_nci_i2c_probe, it called ndlc_probe and bound &ndlc->sm_work with llt_ndlc_sm_work. When it calls ndlc_recv or timeout handler, it will finally call schedule_work to start the work. When we call st_nci_i2c_remove to remove the driver, there may be a sequence as follows: Fix it by finishing the work before cleanup in ndlc_remove CPU0 CPU1 |llt_ndlc_sm_work st_nci_i2c_remove | ndlc_remove | st_nci_remove | nci_free_device| kfree(ndev) | //free ndlc->ndev | |llt_ndlc_rcv_queue |nci_recv_frame |//use ndlc->ndev

Affected products

Linux kernel: from 3.17 before 4.14.311; from 4.15 before 4.19.279; from 4.20 before 5.4.238; from 5.5 before 5.10.176; from 5.11 before 5.15.104; from 5.16 before 6.1.21 — fixed in 4.14.311, 4.19.279, 5.10.176, 5.15.104, 5.4.238, 6.1.21

How to fix

Upgrade to a fixed version: Linux kernel 4.14.311, 4.19.279, 5.10.176, 5.15.104. Check the vendor advisory for mitigations.

References

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