Use-after-free in Linux kernel's Performance Events subsystem (CVE-2023-2235) | HOL Guard CVE

High · CVSS 7.8CVE-2023-2235

Use-after-free in Linux kernel's Performance Events subsystem

Answer in brief

CVE-2023-2235 records a High severity (CVSS 7.8) vulnerability in Use-after-free in Linux kernel's Performance Events subsystem. The current sources do not mark it as known exploited. The current feed maps Linux/Linux Kernel (generic). Check affected ranges and fixed versions before updating.

Analysis pending evidence review

HOL Guard separates source facts from reviewed analysis. See the methodology.

Published May 1, 2023Updated Aug 7, 2026Source checked Sep 22, 2026First seen by HOL Aug 7, 2026Material review Aug 7, 2026

Upstream Advisory

Key facts

Risk: High · CVSS 7.8
Exploitation: Not marked as known exploited
Affected software: 2 mapped packages or products
Fix availability: Available

Why this deserves its current priority

CVSS is 7.8. The current sources do not mark it as known exploited. Treat this as a source-backed prioritization signal, not a statement about your environment.

Analysis status

Analysis pending evidence review

Factual feed record only; HOL analysis is not approved for indexing. Read the methodology.

Affected scope and exposure questions

The current feed maps Linux/Linux Kernel (generic). Check affected ranges and fixed versions before updating.

Affected products and reported versions
Product	Affected versions	Fixed versions
cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel::::::::	Not reported	Not reported

Mapped affected packages and fixed versions
Package	Affected range	Fixed version
Linux/Linux Kernelgeneric	>=5.13 <6.3	6.3

Recommended response

Check inventory. Check lockfiles and deployed manifests for Linux/Linux Kernel.
Review the reported fix. Update Linux/Linux Kernel to 6.3 if you use the affected versions. Test the change in a non-production environment first.

Evidence timeline and material changes

Published upstream
May 1, 2023
Evidence: source:cvelist:source_dates:source-dates:record
Source modified
Aug 7, 2026
Evidence: source:cvelist:source_dates:source-dates:record
First seen by HOL
Aug 7, 2026

Sources and claim methodology

Upstream source description

A use-after-free vulnerability in the Linux Kernel Performance Events system can be exploited to achieve local privilege escalation. The perf_group_detach function did not check the event's siblings' attach_state before calling add_event_to_groups(), but remove_on_exec made it possible to call list_del_event() on before detaching from their group, making it possible to use a dangling pointer causing a use-after-free vulnerability. We recommend upgrading past commit fd0815f632c24878e325821943edccc7fde947a2.

Quoted source text, attributed separately from HOL analysis.