Vulnerability Database

374,587

Total vulnerabilities in the database

CVE-2023-53580 — linux / linux_kernel

Improper Locking

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:

USB: Gadget: core: Help prevent panic during UVC unconfigure

Avichal Rakesh reported a kernel panic that occurred when the UVC gadget driver was removed from a gadget's configuration. The panic involves a somewhat complicated interaction between the kernel driver and a userspace component (as described in the Link tag below), but the analysis did make one thing clear: The Gadget core should accomodate gadget drivers calling usb_gadget_deactivate() as part of their unbind procedure.

Currently this doesn't work. gadget_unbind_driver() calls driver->unbind() while holding the udc->connect_lock mutex, and usb_gadget_deactivate() attempts to acquire that mutex, which will result in a deadlock.

The simple fix is for gadget_unbind_driver() to release the mutex when invoking the ->unbind() callback. There is no particular reason for it to be holding the mutex at that time, and the mutex isn't held while the ->bind() callback is invoked. So we'll drop the mutex before performing the unbind callback and reacquire it afterward.

We'll also add a couple of comments to usb_gadget_activate() and usb_gadget_deactivate(). Because they run in process context they must not be called from a gadget driver's ->disconnect() callback, which (according to the kerneldoc for struct usb_gadget_driver in include/linux/usb/gadget.h) may run in interrupt context. This may help prevent similar bugs from arising in the future.

  • Published: Oct 4, 2025
  • Updated: Feb 11, 2026
  • CVE: CVE-2023-53580
  • Severity: Medium
  • Exploit:
  • CISA KEV:

CVSS v3:

  • Severity: High
  • Score: 7.8
  • AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

CWEs:

Frequently Asked Questions

A security vulnerability is a weakness in software, hardware, or configuration that can be exploited to compromise confidentiality, integrity, or availability. Many vulnerabilities are tracked as CVEs (Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures), which provide a standardized identifier so teams can coordinate patching, mitigation, and risk assessment across tools and vendors.

CVSS (Common Vulnerability Scoring System) estimates technical severity, but it doesn't automatically equal business risk. Prioritize using context like internet exposure, affected asset criticality, known exploitation (proof-of-concept or in-the-wild), and whether compensating controls exist. A "Medium" CVSS on an exposed, production system can be more urgent than a "Critical" on an isolated, non-production host.

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Use a simple, repeatable triage model: focus first on externally exposed assets, high-value systems (identity, VPN, email, production), vulnerabilities with known exploits, and issues that enable remote code execution or privilege escalation. Then enforce patch SLAs and track progress using consistent metrics so remediation is steady, not reactive.

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