---
id: CVE-2023-54321
title: 'driver core: fix potential null-ptr-deref in device_add()'
summary: |-
  In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:

  driver core: fix potential null-ptr-deref in device_add()

  I got the following null-ptr-deref report while doing fault injection test:

  BUG: kernel NULL pointer derefer…
severity: none
vendor: Linux
product: Linux
affected:
  - >-
    Linux >= 57eee3d23e8833ca18708b374c648235691942ba <
    97aa8fb74bbe9aaf4ed5962a784f73b071bd16bf
  - >-
    Linux >= 57eee3d23e8833ca18708b374c648235691942ba <
    2c59650d078b1b3f1ea50d5f8ee9fcc537dc02d3
  - >-
    Linux >= 57eee3d23e8833ca18708b374c648235691942ba <
    7cf515bf9e8c2908dc170ecf2df117162a16c9c5
  - >-
    Linux >= 57eee3d23e8833ca18708b374c648235691942ba <
    17982304806c5c10924e73f7ca5556e0d7378452
  - >-
    Linux >= 57eee3d23e8833ca18708b374c648235691942ba <
    f6837f34a34973ef6600c08195ed300e24e97317
  - Linux 2.6.26
ssvc:
  exploitation: none
  automatable: 'no'
  technicalImpact: partial
  timestamp: '2026-11-05T20:27:22.600288Z'
published: '2025-12-30'
updated: '2026-11-05'
sourceUpdated: '2026-11-05T20:31:21.368Z'
source: CVEORG
sourceUrl: 'https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2023-54321'
references:
  - url: 'https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/97aa8fb74bbe9aaf4ed5962a784f73b071bd16bf'
  - url: 'https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/2c59650d078b1b3f1ea50d5f8ee9fcc537dc02d3'
  - url: 'https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/7cf515bf9e8c2908dc170ecf2df117162a16c9c5'
  - url: 'https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/17982304806c5c10924e73f7ca5556e0d7378452'
  - url: 'https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/f6837f34a34973ef6600c08195ed300e24e97317'
tags:
  - cve.org
epss: 0.00153
epssPercentile: 0.04465
ingestedAt: '2026-11-05T22:38:31.824Z'
---

## Overview

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

driver core: fix potential null-ptr-deref in device_add()

I got the following null-ptr-deref report while doing fault injection test:

BUG: kernel NULL pointer dereference, address: 0000000000000058
CPU: 2 PID: 278 Comm: 37-i2c-ds2482 Tainted: G    B   W        N 6.1.0-rc3+
RIP: 0010:klist_put+0x2d/0xd0
Call Trace:
 <TASK>
 klist_remove+0xf1/0x1c0
 device_release_driver_internal+0x196/0x210
 bus_remove_device+0x1bd/0x240
 device_add+0xd3d/0x1100
 w1_add_master_device+0x476/0x490 [wire]
 ds2482_probe+0x303/0x3e0 [ds2482]

This is how it happened:

w1_alloc_dev()
  // The dev->driver is set to w1_master_driver.
  memcpy(&dev->dev, device, sizeof(struct device));
  device_add()
    bus_add_device()
    dpm_sysfs_add() // It fails, calls bus_remove_device.

    // error path
    bus_remove_device()
      // The dev->driver is not null, but driver is not bound.
      __device_release_driver()
        klist_remove(&dev->p->knode_driver) <-- It causes null-ptr-deref.

    // normal path
    bus_probe_device() // It's not called yet.
      device_bind_driver()

If dev->driver is set, in the error path after calling bus_add_device()
in device_add(), bus_remove_device() is called, then the device will be
detached from driver. But device_bind_driver() is not called yet, so it
causes null-ptr-deref while access the 'knode_driver'. To fix this, set
dev->driver to null in the error path before calling bus_remove_device().

## Affected

- `Linux >= 57eee3d23e8833ca18708b374c648235691942ba < 97aa8fb74bbe9aaf4ed5962a784f73b071bd16bf`
- `Linux >= 57eee3d23e8833ca18708b374c648235691942ba < 2c59650d078b1b3f1ea50d5f8ee9fcc537dc02d3`
- `Linux >= 57eee3d23e8833ca18708b374c648235691942ba < 7cf515bf9e8c2908dc170ecf2df117162a16c9c5`
- `Linux >= 57eee3d23e8833ca18708b374c648235691942ba < 17982304806c5c10924e73f7ca5556e0d7378452`
- `Linux >= 57eee3d23e8833ca18708b374c648235691942ba < f6837f34a34973ef6600c08195ed300e24e97317`
- `Linux 2.6.26`

## Remediation

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