# CVE-2023-53854: linux: In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:  ASoC: mediatek: mt8186: Fix use-after-free in dr...

CVE-2023-53854 is fixed in linux on 1 platform, first by DEBIAN-CVE-2023-53854, released December 9, 2025. It is not reported as exploited. Patch Radar priority: Routine.

- Web page: https://patchblox.com/security/cve/CVE-2023-53854
- Priority: Routine
- CVSS: n/a
- EPSS: 0.0022
- CISA KEV: not listed
- Exploited (vendor report): no
- Publicly disclosed: no
- Published: Dec 9, 2025

## Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:  ASoC: mediatek: mt8186: Fix use-after-free in driver remove path  When devm runs function in the "remove" path for a device it runs them in the reverse order. That means that if you have parts of your driver that aren't using devm or are using "roll your own" devm w/ devm_add_action_or_reset() you need to keep that in mind.  The mt8186 audio driver didn't quite get this right. Specifically, in mt8186_init_clock() it called mt8186_audsys_clk_register() and then went on to call a bunch of other devm function. The caller of mt8186_init_clock() used devm_add_action_or_reset() to call mt8186_deinit_clock() but, because of the intervening devm functions, the order was wrong.  Specifically at probe time, the order was: 1. mt8186_audsys_clk_register() 2. afe_priv->clk = devm_kcalloc(...) 3. afe_priv->clk[i] = devm_clk_get(...)  At remove time, the order (which should have been 3, 2, 1) was: 1. mt8186_audsys_clk_unregister() 3. Free all of afe_priv->clk[i] 2. Free afe_priv->clk  The above seemed to be causing a use-after-free. Luckily, it's easy to fix this by simply using devm more correctly. Let's move the devm_add_action_or_reset() to the right place. In addition to fixing the use-after-free, code inspection shows that this fixes a leak (missing call to mt8186_audsys_clk_unregister()) that would have happened if any of the syscon_regmap_lookup_by_phandle() calls in mt8186_init_clock() had failed.

## Where it's fixed

| Platform | Product | Fixed in | Fix | Released |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Linux | linux Debian 12.15 (bookworm) | 6.1.37-1 | [DEBIAN-CVE-2023-53854](https://patchblox.com/security/data/fix/linux/debian-cve-2023-53854.md) | Dec 9, 2025 |
| Linux | linux Debian 13.5 (trixie) | 6.3.7-1 | [DEBIAN-CVE-2023-53854](https://patchblox.com/security/data/fix/linux/debian-cve-2023-53854.md) | Dec 9, 2025 |
| Linux | linux Debian 14 | 6.3.7-1 | [DEBIAN-CVE-2023-53854](https://patchblox.com/security/data/fix/linux/debian-cve-2023-53854.md) | Dec 9, 2025 |

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