CVE-2023-5717: Out-of-bounds write in Linux kernel's Linux Kernel Performance Events (perf) component

Severity: high (CVSS 7.8 v3.1)
Exploited in the wild: not listed in CISA KEV
EPSS: 0.9% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days
Public exploit or detection template: none known
Published: 2023-10-25 · updated 2026-10-14
Weakness: CWE-787

Description

A heap out-of-bounds write vulnerability in the Linux kernel's Linux Kernel Performance Events (perf) component can be exploited to achieve local privilege escalation. If perf_read_group() is called while an event's sibling_list is smaller than its child's sibling_list, it can increment or write to memory locations outside of the allocated buffer. We recommend upgrading past commit 32671e3799ca2e4590773fd0e63aaa4229e50c06.

Affected products

Linux kernel: from 3.2.95 before 3.3; from 3.16.50 before 3.17; from 4.4 before 4.14.328; from 4.15 before 4.19.297; from 4.20 before 5.4.259; from 5.5 before 5.10.199 — fixed in 3.17, 3.3, 4.14.328, 4.19.297, 5.10.199, 5.15.137

How to fix

Upgrade to a fixed version: Linux kernel 3.17, 3.3, 4.14.328, 4.19.297. Check the vendor advisory for mitigations.

References

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