CVE-2023-54038
Published Dec 24, 2025
Modified Apr 15, 2026
Description
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: Bluetooth: hci_conn: return ERR_PTR instead of NULL when there is no link hci_connect_sco currently returns NULL when there is no link (i.e. when hci_conn_link() returns NULL). sco_connect() expects an ERR_PTR in case of any error (see line 266 in sco.c). Thus, hcon set as NULL passes through to sco_conn_add(), which tries to get hcon->hdev, resulting in dereferencing a NULL pointer as reported by syzkaller. The same issue exists for iso_connect_cis() calling hci_connect_cis(). Thus, make hci_connect_sco() and hci_connect_cis() return ERR_PTR instead of NULL.
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References
Frequently Asked Questions
What is CVE-2023-54038? +
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:
Bluetooth: hci_conn: return ERR_PTR instead of NULL when there is no link
hci_connect_sco currently returns NULL when there is no link (i.e. when
hci_conn_link() returns NULL).
sco_connect() expects an ERR_PTR in case of any error (see line 266 in
sco.c). Thus, hcon set as NULL passes through to sco_conn_add(), which
tries to get hcon->hdev, resulting in dereferencing a NULL pointer as
reported by syzkaller.
The same issue exists for iso_connect_cis() calling hci_connect_cis().
Thus, make hci_connect_sco() and hci_connect_cis() return ERR_PTR
instead of NULL.
How do I check if I'm vulnerable to CVE-2023-54038? +
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.