CVE-2023-53493: accel/qaic: tighten bounds checking in decode_message()

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: 2025-10-01 · updated 2026-08-04

Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: accel/qaic: tighten bounds checking in decode_message() Copy the bounds checking from encode_message() to decode_message(). This patch addresses the following concerns. Ensure that there is enough space for at least one header so that we don't have a negative size later. if (msg_hdr_len < sizeof(*trans_hdr)) Ensure that we have enough space to read the next header from the msg->data. if (msg_len > msg_hdr_len - sizeof(*trans_hdr)) return -EINVAL; Check that the trans_hdr->len is not below the minimum size: if (hdr_len < sizeof(*trans_hdr)) This minimum check ensures that we don't corrupt memory in decode_passthrough() when we do. memcpy(out_trans->data, in_trans->data, len - sizeof(in_trans->hdr)); And finally, use size_add() to prevent an integer overflow: if (size_add(msg_len, hdr_len) > msg_hdr_len)

Affected products

Linux kernel: from 6.4 before 6.4.7; 6.5-rc1, 6.5-rc2 — fixed in 6.4.7

How to fix

Upgrade to a fixed version: Linux kernel 6.4.7. Check the vendor advisory for mitigations.

References

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