---
id: CVE-2023-53480
title: 'kobject: Add sanity check for kset->kobj.ktype in kset_register()'
summary: "In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:\n\nkobject: Add sanity check for kset->kobj.ktype in kset_register()\n\nWhen I register a kset in the following way:\n\tstatic struct kset my_kset;\n\tkobject_set_name(&my_kset.…"
severity: none
vendor: Linux
product: Linux
affected:
  - >-
    Linux >= 5f81880d5204ee2388fd9a75bb850ccd526885b7 <
    039ec9db2d30032eafa365f5f89b30eca5322b05
  - >-
    Linux >= 5f81880d5204ee2388fd9a75bb850ccd526885b7 <
    964e025ceefdf75da46b0133d0c2790de451aeec
  - >-
    Linux >= 5f81880d5204ee2388fd9a75bb850ccd526885b7 <
    5df5829158513134ddcaf2184d9286eda7b0bb18
  - >-
    Linux >= 5f81880d5204ee2388fd9a75bb850ccd526885b7 <
    f3f6bf22a4f5ba649cf26ae4670de5c7f861bdef
  - >-
    Linux >= 5f81880d5204ee2388fd9a75bb850ccd526885b7 <
    48aebbe801e78a8932404c122ed0e880ccedc220
  - >-
    Linux >= 5f81880d5204ee2388fd9a75bb850ccd526885b7 <
    1a772881bc059c596d8ca587cbd2a233edce3d3b
  - >-
    Linux >= 5f81880d5204ee2388fd9a75bb850ccd526885b7 <
    4d0fe8c52bb3029d83e323c961221156ab98680b
  - Linux 4.19
ssvc:
  exploitation: none
  automatable: 'no'
  technicalImpact: partial
  timestamp: '2026-11-05T20:22:04.676676Z'
published: '2025-10-01'
updated: '2026-11-05'
sourceUpdated: '2026-11-05T20:31:11.264Z'
source: CVEORG
sourceUrl: 'https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2023-53480'
references:
  - url: 'https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/039ec9db2d30032eafa365f5f89b30eca5322b05'
  - url: 'https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/964e025ceefdf75da46b0133d0c2790de451aeec'
  - url: 'https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/5df5829158513134ddcaf2184d9286eda7b0bb18'
  - url: 'https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/f3f6bf22a4f5ba649cf26ae4670de5c7f861bdef'
  - url: 'https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/48aebbe801e78a8932404c122ed0e880ccedc220'
  - url: 'https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/1a772881bc059c596d8ca587cbd2a233edce3d3b'
  - url: 'https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/4d0fe8c52bb3029d83e323c961221156ab98680b'
tags:
  - cve.org
epss: 0.0016
epssPercentile: 0.05154
ingestedAt: '2026-11-05T22:38:31.801Z'
---

## Overview

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:

kobject: Add sanity check for kset->kobj.ktype in kset_register()

When I register a kset in the following way:
	static struct kset my_kset;
	kobject_set_name(&my_kset.kobj, "my_kset");
        ret = kset_register(&my_kset);

A null pointer dereference exception is occurred:
[ 4453.568337] Unable to handle kernel NULL pointer dereference at \
virtual address 0000000000000028
... ...
[ 4453.810361] Call trace:
[ 4453.813062]  kobject_get_ownership+0xc/0x34
[ 4453.817493]  kobject_add_internal+0x98/0x274
[ 4453.822005]  kset_register+0x5c/0xb4
[ 4453.825820]  my_kobj_init+0x44/0x1000 [my_kset]
... ...

Because I didn't initialize my_kset.kobj.ktype.

According to the description in Documentation/core-api/kobject.rst:
 - A ktype is the type of object that embeds a kobject.  Every structure
   that embeds a kobject needs a corresponding ktype.

So add sanity check to make sure kset->kobj.ktype is not NULL.

## Affected

- `Linux >= 5f81880d5204ee2388fd9a75bb850ccd526885b7 < 039ec9db2d30032eafa365f5f89b30eca5322b05`
- `Linux >= 5f81880d5204ee2388fd9a75bb850ccd526885b7 < 964e025ceefdf75da46b0133d0c2790de451aeec`
- `Linux >= 5f81880d5204ee2388fd9a75bb850ccd526885b7 < 5df5829158513134ddcaf2184d9286eda7b0bb18`
- `Linux >= 5f81880d5204ee2388fd9a75bb850ccd526885b7 < f3f6bf22a4f5ba649cf26ae4670de5c7f861bdef`
- `Linux >= 5f81880d5204ee2388fd9a75bb850ccd526885b7 < 48aebbe801e78a8932404c122ed0e880ccedc220`
- `Linux >= 5f81880d5204ee2388fd9a75bb850ccd526885b7 < 1a772881bc059c596d8ca587cbd2a233edce3d3b`
- `Linux >= 5f81880d5204ee2388fd9a75bb850ccd526885b7 < 4d0fe8c52bb3029d83e323c961221156ab98680b`
- `Linux 4.19`

## Remediation

Refer to the linked advisories for vendor-supplied fixes and affected version ranges.