{"id":"CVE-2023-54321","state":"PUBLISHED","title":"driver core: fix potential null-ptr-deref in device_add()","description":"In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:\n\ndriver core: fix potential null-ptr-deref in device_add()\n\nI got the following null-ptr-deref report while doing fault injection test:\n\nBUG: kernel NULL pointer dereference, address: 0000000000000058\nCPU: 2 PID: 278 Comm: 37-i2c-ds2482 Tainted: G    B   W        N 6.1.0-rc3+\nRIP: 0010:klist_put+0x2d/0xd0\nCall Trace:\n <TASK>\n klist_remove+0xf1/0x1c0\n device_release_driver_internal+0x196/0x210\n bus_remove_device+0x1bd/0x240\n device_add+0xd3d/0x1100\n w1_add_master_device+0x476/0x490 [wire]\n ds2482_probe+0x303/0x3e0 [ds2482]\n\nThis is how it happened:\n\nw1_alloc_dev()\n  // The dev->driver is set to w1_master_driver.\n  memcpy(&dev->dev, device, sizeof(struct device));\n  device_add()\n    bus_add_device()\n    dpm_sysfs_add() // It fails, calls bus_remove_device.\n\n    // error path\n    bus_remove_device()\n      // The dev->driver is not null, but driver is not bound.\n      __device_release_driver()\n        klist_remove(&dev->p->knode_driver) <-- It causes null-ptr-deref.\n\n    // normal path\n    bus_probe_device() // It's not called yet.\n      device_bind_driver()\n\nIf dev->driver is set, in the error path after calling bus_add_device()\nin device_add(), bus_remove_device() is called, then the device will be\ndetached from driver. But device_bind_driver() is not called yet, so it\ncauses null-ptr-deref while access the 'knode_driver'. To fix this, set\ndev->driver to null in the error path before calling bus_remove_device().","publishedAt":"2025-12-30T12:34:14.793Z","updatedAt":"2026-05-11T19:59:42.500Z","severity":null,"assigner":"Linux","products":["Linux Linux"],"affected":[{"vendor":"Linux","product":"Linux","defaultStatus":"unaffected","versions":[{"version":"57eee3d23e8833ca18708b374c648235691942ba","status":"affected","lessThan":"97aa8fb74bbe9aaf4ed5962a784f73b071bd16bf","versionType":"git"},{"version":"57eee3d23e8833ca18708b374c648235691942ba","status":"affected","lessThan":"2c59650d078b1b3f1ea50d5f8ee9fcc537dc02d3","versionType":"git"},{"version":"57eee3d23e8833ca18708b374c648235691942ba","status":"affected","lessThan":"7cf515bf9e8c2908dc170ecf2df117162a16c9c5","versionType":"git"},{"version":"57eee3d23e8833ca18708b374c648235691942ba","status":"affected","lessThan":"17982304806c5c10924e73f7ca5556e0d7378452","versionType":"git"},{"version":"57eee3d23e8833ca18708b374c648235691942ba","status":"affected","lessThan":"f6837f34a34973ef6600c08195ed300e24e97317","versionType":"git"}],"repo":"https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/stable/linux.git","programFiles":["drivers/base/core.c"]},{"vendor":"Linux","product":"Linux","defaultStatus":"affected","versions":[{"version":"2.6.26","status":"affected"},{"version":"0","status":"unaffected","lessThan":"2.6.26","versionType":"semver"},{"version":"5.10.249","status":"unaffected","lessThanOrEqual":"5.10.*","versionType":"semver"},{"version":"5.15.99","status":"unaffected","lessThanOrEqual":"5.15.*","versionType":"semver"},{"version":"6.1.16","status":"unaffected","lessThanOrEqual":"6.1.*","versionType":"semver"},{"version":"6.2.3","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/base/core.c"]}],"references":["https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/97aa8fb74bbe9aaf4ed5962a784f73b071bd16bf","https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/2c59650d078b1b3f1ea50d5f8ee9fcc537dc02d3","https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/7cf515bf9e8c2908dc170ecf2df117162a16c9c5","https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/17982304806c5c10924e73f7ca5556e0d7378452","https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/f6837f34a34973ef6600c08195ed300e24e97317"],"weaknesses":[],"ingestedAt":"2026-10-29T20:06:42.242Z","source":{"repository":"CVEProject/cvelistV5","path":"cves/2023/54xxx/CVE-2023-54321.json","commit":"556c9d3a8cd17e218bb8e452ba7cd619a384ff47"},"raw":{"dataType":"CVE_RECORD","dataVersion":"5.2","cveMetadata":{"cveId":"CVE-2023-54321","state":"PUBLISHED","datePublished":"2025-12-30T12:34:14.793Z","dateUpdated":"2026-05-11T19:59:42.500Z","assignerShortName":"Linux","assignerOrgId":"416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67","dateReserved":"2025-12-30T12:28:53.860Z"},"containers":{"cna":{"title":"driver core: fix potential null-ptr-deref in device_add()","descriptions":[{"lang":"en","value":"In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:\n\ndriver core: fix potential null-ptr-deref in device_add()\n\nI got the following null-ptr-deref report while doing fault injection test:\n\nBUG: kernel NULL pointer dereference, address: 0000000000000058\nCPU: 2 PID: 278 Comm: 37-i2c-ds2482 Tainted: G    B   W        N 6.1.0-rc3+\nRIP: 0010:klist_put+0x2d/0xd0\nCall Trace:\n <TASK>\n klist_remove+0xf1/0x1c0\n device_release_driver_internal+0x196/0x210\n bus_remove_device+0x1bd/0x240\n device_add+0xd3d/0x1100\n w1_add_master_device+0x476/0x490 [wire]\n ds2482_probe+0x303/0x3e0 [ds2482]\n\nThis is how it happened:\n\nw1_alloc_dev()\n  // The dev->driver is set to w1_master_driver.\n  memcpy(&dev->dev, device, sizeof(struct device));\n  device_add()\n    bus_add_device()\n    dpm_sysfs_add() // It fails, calls bus_remove_device.\n\n    // error path\n    bus_remove_device()\n      // The dev->driver is not null, but driver is not bound.\n      __device_release_driver()\n        klist_remove(&dev->p->knode_driver) <-- It causes null-ptr-deref.\n\n    // normal path\n    bus_probe_device() // It's not called yet.\n      device_bind_driver()\n\nIf dev->driver is set, in the error path after calling bus_add_device()\nin device_add(), bus_remove_device() is called, then the device will be\ndetached from driver. But device_bind_driver() is not called yet, so it\ncauses null-ptr-deref while access the 'knode_driver'. To fix this, set\ndev->driver to null in the error path before calling bus_remove_device()."}],"affected":[{"vendor":"Linux","product":"Linux","defaultStatus":"unaffected","versions":[{"version":"57eee3d23e8833ca18708b374c648235691942ba","status":"affected","lessThan":"97aa8fb74bbe9aaf4ed5962a784f73b071bd16bf","versionType":"git"},{"version":"57eee3d23e8833ca18708b374c648235691942ba","status":"affected","lessThan":"2c59650d078b1b3f1ea50d5f8ee9fcc537dc02d3","versionType":"git"},{"version":"57eee3d23e8833ca18708b374c648235691942ba","status":"affected","lessThan":"7cf515bf9e8c2908dc170ecf2df117162a16c9c5","versionType":"git"},{"version":"57eee3d23e8833ca18708b374c648235691942ba","status":"affected","lessThan":"17982304806c5c10924e73f7ca5556e0d7378452","versionType":"git"},{"version":"57eee3d23e8833ca18708b374c648235691942ba","status":"affected","lessThan":"f6837f34a34973ef6600c08195ed300e24e97317","versionType":"git"}],"repo":"https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/stable/linux.git","programFiles":["drivers/base/core.c"]},{"vendor":"Linux","product":"Linux","defaultStatus":"affected","versions":[{"version":"2.6.26","status":"affected"},{"version":"0","status":"unaffected","lessThan":"2.6.26","versionType":"semver"},{"version":"5.10.249","status":"unaffected","lessThanOrEqual":"5.10.*","versionType":"semver"},{"version":"5.15.99","status":"unaffected","lessThanOrEqual":"5.15.*","versionType":"semver"},{"version":"6.1.16","status":"unaffected","lessThanOrEqual":"6.1.*","versionType":"semver"},{"version":"6.2.3","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/base/core.c"]}],"references":[{"url":"https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/97aa8fb74bbe9aaf4ed5962a784f73b071bd16bf"},{"url":"https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/2c59650d078b1b3f1ea50d5f8ee9fcc537dc02d3"},{"url":"https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/7cf515bf9e8c2908dc170ecf2df117162a16c9c5"},{"url":"https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/17982304806c5c10924e73f7ca5556e0d7378452"},{"url":"https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/f6837f34a34973ef6600c08195ed300e24e97317"}],"providerMetadata":{"shortName":"Linux","orgId":"416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67","dateUpdated":"2026-05-11T19:59:42.500Z"},"cpeApplicability":[{"nodes":[{"operator":"OR","negate":false,"cpeMatch":[{"vulnerable":true,"criteria":"cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*","versionStartIncluding":"2.6.26","versionEndExcluding":"5.10.249"},{"vulnerable":true,"criteria":"cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*","versionStartIncluding":"2.6.26","versionEndExcluding":"5.15.99"},{"vulnerable":true,"criteria":"cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*","versionStartIncluding":"2.6.26","versionEndExcluding":"6.1.16"},{"vulnerable":true,"criteria":"cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*","versionStartIncluding":"2.6.26","versionEndExcluding":"6.2.3"},{"vulnerable":true,"criteria":"cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*","versionStartIncluding":"2.6.26","versionEndExcluding":"6.3"}]}]}],"x_generator":{"engine":"bippy-1.2.0"}}}}}