What is CVE-2023-52977?

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: net: openvswitch: fix flow memory leak in ovs_flow_cmd_new Syzkaller reports a memory leak of new_flow in ovs_flow_cmd_new() as it is not freed when an allocation of a key fails. BUG: memory leak unreferenced object 0xffff888116668000 (size 632): comm "syz-executor231", pid 1090, jiffies 4294844701 (age 18.871s) hex dump (first 32 bytes): 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 ................ 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 ................ backtrace: [ ] kmem_cache_zalloc include/linux/slab.h:654 [inline] [ ] ovs_flow_alloc+0x19/0x180 net/openvswitch/flow_table.c:77 [ ] ovs_flow_cmd_new+0x1de/0xd40 net/openvswitch/datapath.c:957 [ ] genl_family_rcv_msg_doit+0x22d/0x330 net/netlink/genetlink.c:739 [ ] genl_family_rcv_msg net/netlink/genetlink.c:783 [inline] [ ] genl_rcv_msg+0x328/0x590 net/netlink/genetlink.c:800 [ ] netlink_rcv_skb+0x153/0x430 net/netlink/af_netlink.c:2515 [ ] genl_rcv+0x24/0x40 net/netlink/genetlink.c:811 [ ] netlink_unicast_kernel net/netlink/af_netlink.c:1313 [inline] [ ] netlink_unicast+0x545/0x7f0 net/netlink/af_netlink.c:1339 [ ] netlink_sendmsg+0x8e7/0xde0 net/netlink/af_netlink.c:1934 [ ] sock_sendmsg_nosec net/socket.c:651 [inline] [ ] sock_sendmsg+0x152/0x190 net/socket.c:671 [ ] ____sys_sendmsg+0x70a/0x870 net/socket.c:2356 [ ] ___sys_sendmsg+0xf3/0x170 net/socket.c:2410 [ ] __sys_sendmsg+0xe5/0x1b0 net/socket.c:2439 [ ] do_syscall_64+0x30/0x40 arch/x86/entry/common.c:46 [ ] entry_SYSCALL_64_after_hwframe+0x61/0xc6 To fix this the patch rearranges the goto labels to reflect the order of object allocations and adds appropriate goto statements on the error paths. Found by Linux Verification Center (linuxtesting.org) with Syzkaller.

How severe is CVE-2023-52977?

CVE-2023-52977 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 5.5, rated medium severity. It is exploitable over local access with low attack complexity, requires low privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is none, integrity none, and availability high.

Is CVE-2023-52977 being actively exploited?

It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 0% (16th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

What products are affected by CVE-2023-52977?

CVE-2023-52977 affects Linux Linux Kernel. See the affected-products list for the exact vulnerable versions.

How do I fix CVE-2023-52977?

Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround.

Does CVE-2023-52977 have an EU (EUVD) identifier?

Yes. CVE-2023-52977 is tracked in the ENISA EU Vulnerability Database (EUVD) as EUVD-2023-59743.

When was CVE-2023-52977 published?

CVE-2023-52977 was published on 2025-03-27 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

CVE-2023-52977

CVE-2023-52977 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Linux Linux Kernel with a CVSS 3.x base score of 5.5. It is not currently listed as actively exploited by CISA, and its EPSS exploit-prediction score is low. The underlying weakness is classified as CWE-401.

Key facts

Severity: Medium (CVSS 3.x base score 5.5)
EPSS exploit prediction: 0% (16th percentile)
Actively exploited: Not listed in CISA KEV
EU (EUVD) id: EUVD-2023-59743
Weakness: CWE-401
Affected product: Linux Linux Kernel
Published: 2025-03-27
Last modified: 2026-06-17

Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: net: openvswitch: fix flow memory leak in ovs_flow_cmd_new Syzkaller reports a memory leak of new_flow in ovs_flow_cmd_new() as it is not freed when an allocation of a key fails. BUG: memory leak unreferenced object 0xffff888116668000 (size 632): comm "syz-executor231", pid 1090, jiffies 4294844701 (age 18.871s) hex dump (first 32 bytes): 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 ................ 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 ................ backtrace: [<00000000defa3494>] kmem_cache_zalloc include/linux/slab.h:654 [inline] [<00000000defa3494>] ovs_flow_alloc+0x19/0x180 net/openvswitch/flow_table.c:77 [<00000000c67d8873>] ovs_flow_cmd_new+0x1de/0xd40 net/openvswitch/datapath.c:957 [<0000000010a539a8>] genl_family_rcv_msg_doit+0x22d/0x330 net/netlink/genetlink.c:739 [<00000000dff3302d>] genl_family_rcv_msg net/netlink/genetlink.c:783 [inline] [<00000000dff3302d>] genl_rcv_msg+0x328/0x590 net/netlink/genetlink.c:800 [<000000000286dd87>] netlink_rcv_skb+0x153/0x430 net/netlink/af_netlink.c:2515 [<0000000061fed410>] genl_rcv+0x24/0x40 net/netlink/genetlink.c:811 [<000000009dc0f111>] netlink_unicast_kernel net/netlink/af_netlink.c:1313 [inline] [<000000009dc0f111>] netlink_unicast+0x545/0x7f0 net/netlink/af_netlink.c:1339 [<000000004a5ee816>] netlink_sendmsg+0x8e7/0xde0 net/netlink/af_netlink.c:1934 [<00000000482b476f>] sock_sendmsg_nosec net/socket.c:651 [inline] [<00000000482b476f>] sock_sendmsg+0x152/0x190 net/socket.c:671 [<00000000698574ba>] ____sys_sendmsg+0x70a/0x870 net/socket.c:2356 [<00000000d28d9e11>] ___sys_sendmsg+0xf3/0x170 net/socket.c:2410 [<0000000083ba9120>] __sys_sendmsg+0xe5/0x1b0 net/socket.c:2439 [<00000000c00628f8>] do_syscall_64+0x30/0x40 arch/x86/entry/common.c:46 [<000000004abfdcf4>] entry_SYSCALL_64_after_hwframe+0x61/0xc6 To fix this the patch rearranges the goto labels to reflect the order of object allocations and adds appropriate goto statements on the error paths. Found by Linux Verification Center (linuxtesting.org) with Syzkaller.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2023-52977?: In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: net: openvswitch: fix flow memory leak in ovs_flow_cmd_new Syzkaller reports a memory leak of new_flow in ovs_flow_cmd_new() as it is not freed when an allocation of a key fails. BUG: memory leak unreferenced object 0xffff888116668000 (size 632): comm "syz-executor231", pid 1090, jiffies 4294844701 (age 18.871s) hex dump (first 32 bytes): 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 ................ 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 ................ backtrace: [<00000000defa3494>] kmem_cache_zalloc include/linux/slab.h:654 [inline] [<00000000defa3494>] ovs_flow_alloc+0x19/0x180 net/openvswitch/flow_table.c:77 [<00000000c67d8873>] ovs_flow_cmd_new+0x1de/0xd40 net/openvswitch/datapath.c:957 [<0000000010a539a8>] genl_family_rcv_msg_doit+0x22d/0x330 net/netlink/genetlink.c:739 [<00000000dff3302d>] genl_family_rcv_msg net/netlink/genetlink.c:783 [inline] [<00000000dff3302d>] genl_rcv_msg+0x328/0x590 net/netlink/genetlink.c:800 [<000000000286dd87>] netlink_rcv_skb+0x153/0x430 net/netlink/af_netlink.c:2515 [<0000000061fed410>] genl_rcv+0x24/0x40 net/netlink/genetlink.c:811 [<000000009dc0f111>] netlink_unicast_kernel net/netlink/af_netlink.c:1313 [inline] [<000000009dc0f111>] netlink_unicast+0x545/0x7f0 net/netlink/af_netlink.c:1339 [<000000004a5ee816>] netlink_sendmsg+0x8e7/0xde0 net/netlink/af_netlink.c:1934 [<00000000482b476f>] sock_sendmsg_nosec net/socket.c:651 [inline] [<00000000482b476f>] sock_sendmsg+0x152/0x190 net/socket.c:671 [<00000000698574ba>] ____sys_sendmsg+0x70a/0x870 net/socket.c:2356 [<00000000d28d9e11>] ___sys_sendmsg+0xf3/0x170 net/socket.c:2410 [<0000000083ba9120>] __sys_sendmsg+0xe5/0x1b0 net/socket.c:2439 [<00000000c00628f8>] do_syscall_64+0x30/0x40 arch/x86/entry/common.c:46 [<000000004abfdcf4>] entry_SYSCALL_64_after_hwframe+0x61/0xc6 To fix this the patch rearranges the goto labels to reflect the order of object allocations and adds appropriate goto statements on the error paths. Found by Linux Verification Center (linuxtesting.org) with Syzkaller.
How severe is CVE-2023-52977?: CVE-2023-52977 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 5.5, rated medium severity. It is exploitable over local access with low attack complexity, requires low privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is none, integrity none, and availability high.
Is CVE-2023-52977 being actively exploited?: It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 0% (16th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
What products are affected by CVE-2023-52977?: CVE-2023-52977 affects Linux Linux Kernel. See the affected-products list for the exact vulnerable versions.
How do I fix CVE-2023-52977?: Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround.
Does CVE-2023-52977 have an EU (EUVD) identifier?: Yes. CVE-2023-52977 is tracked in the ENISA EU Vulnerability Database (EUVD) as EUVD-2023-59743.
When was CVE-2023-52977 published?: CVE-2023-52977 was published on 2025-03-27 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

References

Affected products (1)

cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

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