High

Local Privilege Escalation in Linux kernel af_unix unix_stream_sendpage

IdentifiersCVE-2023-4622CWE-416· Use After Free

CVE-2023-4622 is a use-after-free vulnerability in the Linux kernel's af_unix subsystem. The flaw is in unix_stream_sendpage(), which attempts to append data to the last socket buffer in a peer socket's receive queue without properly locking that queue. Because the receive queue can be modified concurrently by garbage collection, a race condition exists in which unix_stream_sendpage() may access a socket buffer that is in the process of being released, resulting in a use-after-free condition. A local attacker can exploit this race to corrupt kernel memory and achieve privilege escalation.

For your environment

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ANALYST BRIEF

Impact, mitigation & remediation

What it means. What to do now. Patch path, mitigations, and the assume-compromise checklist.

Impact

What an attacker gets, and what they’ve been doing with it.

Successful exploitation can lead to local privilege escalation on affected Linux systems. By winning the race and triggering the use-after-free in kernel context, an attacker may obtain arbitrary influence over kernel memory state sufficient to execute code with elevated privileges or otherwise gain root-level control of the host.

Mitigation

If you can’t patch tonight, do this now.

If immediate patching is not possible, reduce exposure by limiting untrusted local code execution on affected systems, including restricting shell access, container breakout opportunities, and multi-tenant access to vulnerable hosts. Because this is a kernel race condition in a local attack path, mitigation is primarily operational; there is no reliable configuration-only workaround indicated in the available information.

Remediation

Patch, then assume compromise.

Upgrade the Linux kernel to a version that includes the fix for CVE-2023-4622. The provided fix reference is commit 790c2f9d15b594350ae9bca7b236f2b1859de02c; systems should be updated to a kernel release containing this change or a vendor backport of the same fix.

PUBLIC EXPLOITS

Exploits

No valid public exploits. Mallory filtered out 1 candidate as fakes, detection scripts, or README-only repos.

VALID 0 / 1 TOTALView more in app

All candidate exploits were filtered out by Mallory's validation.

EXPOSURE SURFACE

Affected products & vendors

Products and vendors Mallory has correlated with this vulnerability. Open in Mallory to drill down to specific CPE configurations and version ranges.

VendorProductType

DebianDebian Linuxoperating_system

LinuxLinux Kerneloperating_system

Vendor-confirmed product mapping. Mallory continuously reconciles this list against your asset inventory.

ACTIVITY FEED

Recent activity

2 sources tracked across advisories and community write-ups. News coverage will land here when it surfaces.

2 SOURCESView more in app

No news coverage yet. Advisories and community discussion only.

What this page doesn’t show

The version that knows your environment.

This page is what’s public. Mallory adds the parts that aren’t: which of your assets are affected, which adversaries are exploiting it right now, which detections to deploy, and what to do tonight.

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Exposure mapping

Query your assets running an affected version, and investigate the blast radius.

Threat actor evidence

Every observed campaign linking this CVE to a named adversary.

Associated malware

Malware families riding this exploit, with evidence and IOCs.

Detection signatures

YARA, Sigma, Snort, and vendor rules, auto-deployed to your SIEM.

Vendor-by-vendor mapping

Cross-references every affected SKU, including bundled OEM variants.

Social activity1