{"id":"CVE-2023-53279","state":"PUBLISHED","title":"misc: vmw_balloon: fix memory leak with using debugfs_lookup()","description":"In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:\n\nmisc: vmw_balloon: fix memory leak with using debugfs_lookup()\n\nWhen calling debugfs_lookup() the result must have dput() called on it,\notherwise the memory will leak over time.  To make things simpler, just\ncall debugfs_lookup_and_remove() instead which handles all of the logic at\nonce.","publishedAt":"2025-09-16T08:11:13.712Z","updatedAt":"2026-05-11T19:41:51.057Z","severity":{"score":5.5,"label":"Medium","version":"3.1","vector":"CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H","source":"CISA-ADP"},"assigner":"Linux","products":["Linux Linux"],"affected":[{"vendor":"Linux","product":"Linux","defaultStatus":"unaffected","versions":[{"version":"37b85bd5f20cbe28140d370a840738b6f2e85cbf","status":"affected","lessThan":"b94b39bf3d545671f210a2257d18e33c8b874699","versionType":"git"},{"version":"37b85bd5f20cbe28140d370a840738b6f2e85cbf","status":"affected","lessThan":"d1c545e44c1ec08bef0c0c14e632eec516431e9c","versionType":"git"},{"version":"37b85bd5f20cbe28140d370a840738b6f2e85cbf","status":"affected","lessThan":"f7651fa88b17c2d7af949981a2423179db5e9453","versionType":"git"},{"version":"37b85bd5f20cbe28140d370a840738b6f2e85cbf","status":"affected","lessThan":"209cdbd07cfaa4b7385bad4eeb47e5ec1887d33d","versionType":"git"}],"repo":"https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/stable/linux.git","programFiles":["drivers/misc/vmw_balloon.c"]},{"vendor":"Linux","product":"Linux","defaultStatus":"affected","versions":[{"version":"5.13","status":"affected"},{"version":"0","status":"unaffected","lessThan":"5.13","versionType":"semver"},{"version":"5.15.100","status":"unaffected","lessThanOrEqual":"5.15.*","versionType":"semver"},{"version":"6.1.18","status":"unaffected","lessThanOrEqual":"6.1.*","versionType":"semver"},{"version":"6.2.5","status":"unaffected","lessThanOrEqual":"6.2.*","versionType":"semver"},{"version":"6.3","status":"unaffected","lessThanOrEqual":"*","versionType":"original_commit_for_fix"}],"repo":"https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/stable/linux.git","programFiles":["drivers/misc/vmw_balloon.c"]}],"references":["https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/b94b39bf3d545671f210a2257d18e33c8b874699","https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/d1c545e44c1ec08bef0c0c14e632eec516431e9c","https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/f7651fa88b17c2d7af949981a2423179db5e9453","https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/209cdbd07cfaa4b7385bad4eeb47e5ec1887d33d"],"weaknesses":["CWE-401"],"ingestedAt":"2026-10-29T20:06:33.064Z","source":{"repository":"CVEProject/cvelistV5","path":"cves/2023/53xxx/CVE-2023-53279.json","commit":"556c9d3a8cd17e218bb8e452ba7cd619a384ff47"},"raw":{"dataType":"CVE_RECORD","dataVersion":"5.2","cveMetadata":{"cveId":"CVE-2023-53279","state":"PUBLISHED","datePublished":"2025-09-16T08:11:13.712Z","dateUpdated":"2026-05-11T19:41:51.057Z","assignerShortName":"Linux","assignerOrgId":"416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67","dateReserved":"2025-09-16T08:09:37.991Z"},"containers":{"cna":{"title":"misc: vmw_balloon: fix memory leak with using debugfs_lookup()","descriptions":[{"lang":"en","value":"In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:\n\nmisc: vmw_balloon: fix memory leak with using debugfs_lookup()\n\nWhen calling debugfs_lookup() the result must have dput() called on it,\notherwise the memory will leak over time.  To make things simpler, just\ncall debugfs_lookup_and_remove() instead which handles all of the logic at\nonce."}],"affected":[{"vendor":"Linux","product":"Linux","defaultStatus":"unaffected","versions":[{"version":"37b85bd5f20cbe28140d370a840738b6f2e85cbf","status":"affected","lessThan":"b94b39bf3d545671f210a2257d18e33c8b874699","versionType":"git"},{"version":"37b85bd5f20cbe28140d370a840738b6f2e85cbf","status":"affected","lessThan":"d1c545e44c1ec08bef0c0c14e632eec516431e9c","versionType":"git"},{"version":"37b85bd5f20cbe28140d370a840738b6f2e85cbf","status":"affected","lessThan":"f7651fa88b17c2d7af949981a2423179db5e9453","versionType":"git"},{"version":"37b85bd5f20cbe28140d370a840738b6f2e85cbf","status":"affected","lessThan":"209cdbd07cfaa4b7385bad4eeb47e5ec1887d33d","versionType":"git"}],"repo":"https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/stable/linux.git","programFiles":["drivers/misc/vmw_balloon.c"]},{"vendor":"Linux","product":"Linux","defaultStatus":"affected","versions":[{"version":"5.13","status":"affected"},{"version":"0","status":"unaffected","lessThan":"5.13","versionType":"semver"},{"version":"5.15.100","status":"unaffected","lessThanOrEqual":"5.15.*","versionType":"semver"},{"version":"6.1.18","status":"unaffected","lessThanOrEqual":"6.1.*","versionType":"semver"},{"version":"6.2.5","status":"unaffected","lessThanOrEqual":"6.2.*","versionType":"semver"},{"version":"6.3","status":"unaffected","lessThanOrEqual":"*","versionType":"original_commit_for_fix"}],"repo":"https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/stable/linux.git","programFiles":["drivers/misc/vmw_balloon.c"]}],"references":[{"url":"https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/b94b39bf3d545671f210a2257d18e33c8b874699"},{"url":"https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/d1c545e44c1ec08bef0c0c14e632eec516431e9c"},{"url":"https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/f7651fa88b17c2d7af949981a2423179db5e9453"},{"url":"https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/209cdbd07cfaa4b7385bad4eeb47e5ec1887d33d"}],"providerMetadata":{"shortName":"Linux","orgId":"416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67","dateUpdated":"2026-05-11T19:41:51.057Z"},"cpeApplicability":[{"nodes":[{"operator":"OR","negate":false,"cpeMatch":[{"vulnerable":true,"criteria":"cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*","versionStartIncluding":"5.13","versionEndExcluding":"5.15.100"},{"vulnerable":true,"criteria":"cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*","versionStartIncluding":"5.13","versionEndExcluding":"6.1.18"},{"vulnerable":true,"criteria":"cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*","versionStartIncluding":"5.13","versionEndExcluding":"6.2.5"},{"vulnerable":true,"criteria":"cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*","versionStartIncluding":"5.13","versionEndExcluding":"6.3"}]}]}],"x_generator":{"engine":"bippy-1.2.0"}},"adp":[{"title":"CISA ADP Vulnrichment","metrics":[{"cvssV3_1":{"scope":"UNCHANGED","version":"3.1","baseScore":5.5,"attackVector":"LOCAL","baseSeverity":"MEDIUM","vectorString":"CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H","integrityImpact":"NONE","userInteraction":"NONE","attackComplexity":"LOW","availabilityImpact":"HIGH","privilegesRequired":"LOW","confidentialityImpact":"NONE"}},{"other":{"type":"ssvc","content":{"id":"CVE-2023-53279","role":"CISA Coordinator","options":[{"Exploitation":"none"},{"Automatable":"no"},{"Technical Impact":"partial"}],"version":"2.0.3","timestamp":"2026-01-14T18:07:56.038257Z"}}}],"problemTypes":[{"descriptions":[{"cweId":"CWE-401","lang":"en","type":"CWE","description":"CWE-401 Missing Release of Memory after Effective Lifetime"}]}],"providerMetadata":{"shortName":"CISA-ADP","orgId":"134c704f-9b21-4f2e-91b3-4a467353bcc0","dateUpdated":"2026-01-14T18:12:54.550Z"}}]}}}