CVE-2023-23005

In the Linux kernel before 6.2, mm/memory-tiers.c misinterprets the alloc_memory_type return value (expects it to be NULL in the error case, whereas it is actually an error pointer). NOTE: this is disputed by third parties because there are no realistic cases in which a user can cause the alloc_memory_type error case to be reached.

Published: 2023-03-01 Last update: 2025-03-19 Assigner: [email protected] Source: [email protected]
NVD Status：Modified，CVE State: published
View at NVD, CVE.org, EUVD

CVE-2023-23005 is rated Low Risk (28.6/100): CVSS Medium severity, with low exploitation likelihood (EPSS 0.27%). Monitor for updates and reassess as exploit intelligence or EPSS changes.

Risk is dynamic; we continuously reassess and refresh what is shown on this page as upstream context changes.

Exploit prediction scoring system (EPSS) score for CVE-2023-23005

EPSS lead: Daily EPSS estimates relative likelihood of exploitation; percentile ranks this CVE among scored vulnerabilities (higher = more severe relative rank).

# Date Old EPSS score New EPSS score Delta (New - Old)
1 2026-06-15 0.04% 0.27% +0.23%
2 2026-04-18 0.08% 0.04% -0.04%
3 2026-03-18 — 0.08% —

Full EPSS history (7 records total)

Common vulnerability scoring system (CVSS) metrics for CVE-2023-23005

CVSS metrics for this CVE.

Base score Version Severity Vector Exploitability Impact Score source
5.5 3.1 MEDIUM
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H Click to expand
Attack vector (AV:L)
They already need access on the box, or another person has to do something wrong; it’s not a remote drive-by.
Attack complexity (AC:L)
Once they can reach the bug, pulling it off is straightforward—no weird race conditions or rare setup.
Privileges required (PR:L)
A normal user session is enough; they don’t have to be admin.
User interaction (UI:N)
Nobody has to click “OK” or open a trap file; it can work without a victim helping.
Scope (S:U)
Damage stays in the same “trust bubble” as the broken component—no big spill into unrelated systems.
Confidentiality (C:N)
Doesn’t really leak secrets in a meaningful way.
Integrity (I:N)
Data isn’t meaningfully altered or forged.
Availability (A:H)
Could take the service down hard or make it unusable for people who depend on it.
 1.8 3.6 [email protected]
5.5 3.1 MEDIUM
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H Click to expand
Attack vector (AV:L)
They already need access on the box, or another person has to do something wrong; it’s not a remote drive-by.
Attack complexity (AC:L)
Once they can reach the bug, pulling it off is straightforward—no weird race conditions or rare setup.
Privileges required (PR:L)
A normal user session is enough; they don’t have to be admin.
User interaction (UI:N)
Nobody has to click “OK” or open a trap file; it can work without a victim helping.
Scope (S:U)
Damage stays in the same “trust bubble” as the broken component—no big spill into unrelated systems.
Confidentiality (C:N)
Doesn’t really leak secrets in a meaningful way.
Integrity (I:N)
Data isn’t meaningfully altered or forged.
Availability (A:H)
Could take the service down hard or make it unusable for people who depend on it.
 1.8 3.6 134c704f-9b21-4f2e-91b3-4a467353bcc0

Weakness enumeration for CVE-2023-23005

OS Trackers for CVE-2023-23005

vendor priority summary link
debian unimportant CVE-2023-23005 unimportant priority: Debian including 1 source packages (linux), 5 status rows across 5 suites (bookworm, bullseye, forky, sid, trixie): resolved 4, open 1. https://security-tracker.debian.org/tracker/CVE-2023-23005
redhat low — https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2023-23005
suse — CVE-2023-23005 severity not set: SUSE including 13 source package names (kernel-default, kernel-default-base, …), 184 product×package rows across 43 product lines (SUSE CaaS Platform 4.0, SUSE Enterprise Storage 7, … (43 product lines)): Known Not Affected 184. https://www.suse.com/security/cve/CVE-2023-23005/
ubuntu medium CVE-2023-23005 medium priority: Ubuntu including 122 source packages (linux, linux-allwinner, …), 962 status rows across 10 suites (bionic, focal, jammy, kinetic, lunar, mantic, noble, trusty, upstream, xenial): DNE 633, not-affected 141, ignored 104, released 84. https://ubuntu.com/security/CVE-2023-23005

Affected software / configurations for CVE-2023-23005

Vendor Product Version Raw CPE
linux linux_kernel < 6.2 cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
suse linux_enterprise_server 15 cpe:2.3:o:suse:linux_enterprise_server:15:sp5:*:*:*:*:*:*

References for CVE-2023-23005

cvelogic Threat Intelligence