---
id: CVE-2023-53515
title: 'virtio-mmio: don''t break lifecycle of vm_dev'
summary: |-
  In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:

  virtio-mmio: don't break lifecycle of vm_dev

  vm_dev has a separate lifecycle because it has a 'struct device'
  embedded. Thus, having a release callback for it is corre…
severity: none
vendor: Linux
product: Linux
affected:
  - >-
    Linux >= 7eb781b1bbb7136fe78fb8c28c1c223c61fa32b5 <
    97a2d55ead76358245b446efd87818e919196d7a
  - >-
    Linux >= 7eb781b1bbb7136fe78fb8c28c1c223c61fa32b5 <
    b788ad3b2468512339c05f23692e36860264e674
  - >-
    Linux >= 7eb781b1bbb7136fe78fb8c28c1c223c61fa32b5 <
    3ff54d904fafabd0912796785e53cce4e69ca123
  - >-
    Linux >= 7eb781b1bbb7136fe78fb8c28c1c223c61fa32b5 <
    5b7d5c2dd664eb8b9a06ecbc06e28d39359c422e
  - >-
    Linux >= 7eb781b1bbb7136fe78fb8c28c1c223c61fa32b5 <
    af5818c35173e096085c6ae2e3aac605d3d15e41
  - >-
    Linux >= 7eb781b1bbb7136fe78fb8c28c1c223c61fa32b5 <
    2dcb368fe5a8eee498ca75c93a18ce2f3b0d6a8e
  - >-
    Linux >= 7eb781b1bbb7136fe78fb8c28c1c223c61fa32b5 <
    55c91fedd03d7b9cf0c5199b2eb12b9b8e95281a
  - Linux 4.15
ssvc:
  exploitation: none
  automatable: 'no'
  technicalImpact: partial
  timestamp: '2026-11-05T20:22:52.394274Z'
published: '2025-10-01'
updated: '2026-11-05'
sourceUpdated: '2026-11-05T20:31:12.860Z'
source: CVEORG
sourceUrl: 'https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2023-53515'
references:
  - url: 'https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/97a2d55ead76358245b446efd87818e919196d7a'
  - url: 'https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/b788ad3b2468512339c05f23692e36860264e674'
  - url: 'https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/3ff54d904fafabd0912796785e53cce4e69ca123'
  - url: 'https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/5b7d5c2dd664eb8b9a06ecbc06e28d39359c422e'
  - url: 'https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/af5818c35173e096085c6ae2e3aac605d3d15e41'
  - url: 'https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/2dcb368fe5a8eee498ca75c93a18ce2f3b0d6a8e'
  - url: 'https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/55c91fedd03d7b9cf0c5199b2eb12b9b8e95281a'
tags:
  - cve.org
epss: 0.00152
epssPercentile: 0.04409
ingestedAt: '2026-11-05T22:38:31.805Z'
---

## Overview

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

virtio-mmio: don't break lifecycle of vm_dev

vm_dev has a separate lifecycle because it has a 'struct device'
embedded. Thus, having a release callback for it is correct.

Allocating the vm_dev struct with devres totally breaks this protection,
though. Instead of waiting for the vm_dev release callback, the memory
is freed when the platform_device is removed. Resulting in a
use-after-free when finally the callback is to be called.

To easily see the problem, compile the kernel with
CONFIG_DEBUG_KOBJECT_RELEASE and unbind with sysfs.

The fix is easy, don't use devres in this case.

Found during my research about object lifetime problems.

## Affected

- `Linux >= 7eb781b1bbb7136fe78fb8c28c1c223c61fa32b5 < 97a2d55ead76358245b446efd87818e919196d7a`
- `Linux >= 7eb781b1bbb7136fe78fb8c28c1c223c61fa32b5 < b788ad3b2468512339c05f23692e36860264e674`
- `Linux >= 7eb781b1bbb7136fe78fb8c28c1c223c61fa32b5 < 3ff54d904fafabd0912796785e53cce4e69ca123`
- `Linux >= 7eb781b1bbb7136fe78fb8c28c1c223c61fa32b5 < 5b7d5c2dd664eb8b9a06ecbc06e28d39359c422e`
- `Linux >= 7eb781b1bbb7136fe78fb8c28c1c223c61fa32b5 < af5818c35173e096085c6ae2e3aac605d3d15e41`
- `Linux >= 7eb781b1bbb7136fe78fb8c28c1c223c61fa32b5 < 2dcb368fe5a8eee498ca75c93a18ce2f3b0d6a8e`
- `Linux >= 7eb781b1bbb7136fe78fb8c28c1c223c61fa32b5 < 55c91fedd03d7b9cf0c5199b2eb12b9b8e95281a`
- `Linux 4.15`

## Remediation

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