CVE-2023-53854

Published Dec 9, 2025 Modified Apr 15, 2026

Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: ASoC: mediatek: mt8186: Fix use-after-free in driver remove path When devm runs function in the "remove" path for a device it runs them in the reverse order. That means that if you have parts of your driver that aren't using devm or are using "roll your own" devm w/ devm_add_action_or_reset() you need to keep that in mind. The mt8186 audio driver didn't quite get this right. Specifically, in mt8186_init_clock() it called mt8186_audsys_clk_register() and then went on to call a bunch of other devm function. The caller of mt8186_init_clock() used devm_add_action_or_reset() to call mt8186_deinit_clock() but, because of the intervening devm functions, the order was wrong. Specifically at probe time, the order was: 1. mt8186_audsys_clk_register() 2. afe_priv->clk = devm_kcalloc(...) 3. afe_priv->clk[i] = devm_clk_get(...) At remove time, the order (which should have been 3, 2, 1) was: 1. mt8186_audsys_clk_unregister() 3. Free all of afe_priv->clk[i] 2. Free afe_priv->clk The above seemed to be causing a use-after-free. Luckily, it's easy to fix this by simply using devm more correctly. Let's move the devm_add_action_or_reset() to the right place. In addition to fixing the use-after-free, code inspection shows that this fixes a leak (missing call to mt8186_audsys_clk_unregister()) that would have happened if any of the syscon_regmap_lookup_by_phandle() calls in mt8186_init_clock() had failed.

Is your site exposed to CVE-2023-53854?

Run a free security scan — no signup, results in seconds.

References

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2023-53854? +
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: ASoC: mediatek: mt8186: Fix use-after-free in driver remove path When devm runs function in the "remove" path for a device it runs them in the reverse order. That means that if you have parts of your driver that aren't using devm or are using "roll your own" devm w/ devm_add_action_or_reset() you need to keep that in mind. The mt8186 audio driver didn't quite get this right. Specifically, in mt8186_init_clock() it called mt8186_audsys_clk_register() and then went on to call a bunch of other devm function. The caller of mt8186_init_clock() used devm_add_action_or_reset() to call mt8186_deinit_clock() but, because of the intervening devm functions, the order was wrong. Specifically at probe time, the order was: 1. mt8186_audsys_clk_register() 2. afe_priv->clk = devm_kcalloc(...) 3. afe_priv->clk[i] = devm_clk_get(...) At remove time, the order (which should have been 3, 2, 1) was: 1. mt8186_audsys_clk_unregister() 3. Free all of afe_priv->clk[i] 2. Free afe_priv->clk The above seemed to be causing a use-after-free. Luckily, it's easy to fix this by simply using devm more correctly. Let's move the devm_add_action_or_reset() to the right place. In addition to fixing the use-after-free, code inspection shows that this fixes a leak (missing call to mt8186_audsys_clk_unregister()) that would have happened if any of the syscon_regmap_lookup_by_phandle() calls in mt8186_init_clock() had failed.
How do I check if I'm vulnerable to CVE-2023-53854? +
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.

Don't wait for an exploit

Scan your website for vulnerabilities like CVE-2023-53854 — free, no signup required.