CVE-2023-53166

MEDIUM
Published Sep 15, 2025 Modified Nov 24, 2025 CWE-362

Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: power: supply: bq25890: Fix external_power_changed race bq25890_charger_external_power_changed() dereferences bq->charger, which gets sets in bq25890_power_supply_init() like this: bq->charger = devm_power_supply_register(bq->dev, &bq->desc, &psy_cfg); As soon as devm_power_supply_register() has called device_add() the external_power_changed callback can get called. So there is a window where bq25890_charger_external_power_changed() may get called while bq->charger has not been set yet leading to a NULL pointer dereference. This race hits during boot sometimes on a Lenovo Yoga Book 1 yb1-x90f when the cht_wcove_pwrsrc (extcon) power_supply is done with detecting the connected charger-type which happens to exactly hit the small window: BUG: kernel NULL pointer dereference, address: 0000000000000018 <snip> RIP: 0010:__power_supply_is_supplied_by+0xb/0xb0 <snip> Call Trace: <TASK> __power_supply_get_supplier_property+0x19/0x50 class_for_each_device+0xb1/0xe0 power_supply_get_property_from_supplier+0x2e/0x50 bq25890_charger_external_power_changed+0x38/0x1b0 [bq25890_charger] __power_supply_changed_work+0x30/0x40 class_for_each_device+0xb1/0xe0 power_supply_changed_work+0x5f/0xe0 <snip> Fixing this is easy. The external_power_changed callback gets passed the power_supply which will eventually get stored in bq->charger, so bq25890_charger_external_power_changed() can simply directly use the passed in psy argument which is always valid.

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CVSS v3.1 Score

4.7
MEDIUM
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H

Weakness Type (CWE)

CWE-362 CWE-362

Affected Products

Vendor Product
linux linux_kernel
linux linux_kernel
linux linux_kernel
linux linux_kernel
linux linux_kernel

References

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2023-53166? +
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: power: supply: bq25890: Fix external_power_changed race bq25890_charger_external_power_changed() dereferences bq->charger, which gets sets in bq25890_power_supply_init() like this: bq->charger = devm_power_supply_register(bq->dev, &bq->desc, &psy_cfg); As soon as devm_power_supply_register() has called device_add() the external_power_changed callback can get called. So there is a window where bq25890_charger_external_power_changed() may get called while bq->charger has not been set yet leading to a NULL pointer dereference. This race hits during boot sometimes on a Lenovo Yoga Book 1 yb1-x90f when the cht_wcove_pwrsrc (extcon) power_supply is done with detecting the connected charger-type which happens to exactly hit the small window: BUG: kernel NULL pointer dereference, address: 0000000000000018 <snip> RIP: 0010:__power_supply_is_supplied_by+0xb/0xb0 <snip> Call Trace: <TASK> __power_supply_get_supplier_property+0x19/0x50 class_for_each_device+0xb1/0xe0 power_supply_get_property_from_supplier+0x2e/0x50 bq25890_charger_external_power_changed+0x38/0x1b0 [bq25890_charger] __power_supply_changed_work+0x30/0x40 class_for_each_device+0xb1/0xe0 power_supply_changed_work+0x5f/0xe0 <snip> Fixing this is easy. The external_power_changed callback gets passed the power_supply which will eventually get stored in bq->charger, so bq25890_charger_external_power_changed() can simply directly use the passed in psy argument which is always valid. It has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 4.7 (MEDIUM).
How severe is CVE-2023-53166? +
CVE-2023-53166 has a CVSS v3.1 score of 4.7 out of 10, rated MEDIUM. This is a medium-severity vulnerability that should be remediated as part of regular maintenance.
What products are affected by CVE-2023-53166? +
CVE-2023-53166 affects products from linux, specifically: linux_kernel. Check the affected products table above for specific version ranges.
How do I check if I'm vulnerable to CVE-2023-53166? +
You can use Secably's free Website Scanner to check your website for known vulnerabilities. For infrastructure scanning, use the Port Scanner to identify exposed services that may be affected. Check the vendor advisories linked above for specific patch and version information.

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