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CVE-2023-5633VulnerabilityPublished Updated

CVE-2023-5633: Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8 · Use After Free

Affects Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8Source CVE Database V5

0

Mentioned vulnerabilities

Not known to be exploited · CVSS 7.8 High.

Data as of 26 Oct 2026, 06:26 UTC

CVSS 3.1 base score
7.8High
How severe the flaw is on the 0–10 CVSS scale.
EPSS
0.2% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 20% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Exploitation evidence

  1. Disclosed: evidence found.

    CVE published 23 Oct 2023

  2. Detectable: no evidence on record.

    No public nuclei template indexed

  3. Weaponised: no evidence on record.

    No public exploit code indexed in Metasploit or Exploit-DB

  4. Exploited in the wild: no evidence on record.

    Not in CISA KEV and no source reports exploitation

  5. Observed by OffSeq Mirage: no evidence on record.

    No attack traffic recorded by OffSeq Mirage sensors

A missing step is not evidence of safety. Sources: cve.org (opens in a new tab), the Metasploit, Exploit-DB and nuclei-templates index as of 2026-10-26.

What to do

Affected software

ProductAffectedFixed in
Red Hat Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8Affected
  • =8
Fixed in–

AI-suggested

1. Apply official Red Hat patches for CVE-2023-5633 as soon as they become available to ensure the vulnerability is fully remediated. 2. Temporarily disable 3D acceleration in VMware guest settings for Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8 virtual machines until patches are applied, as this feature is directly linked to the vulnerability. 3. Restrict local user access to systems running RHEL 8 guests on VMware to trusted personnel only, minimizing the risk of exploitation by unprivileged users. 4. Implement strict monitoring and alerting for unusual privilege escalation attempts or suspicious process behavior within virtual machines. 5. Harden guest OS configurations by applying least privilege principles and disabling unnecessary services or graphical features that may increase attack surface. 6. Conduct thorough regression testing after patch deployment to ensure no new issues are introduced. 7. Maintain up-to-date inventory of virtualized environments and their configurations to quickly identify affected systems. 8. Educate system administrators and security teams about the specific risk posed by 3D acceleration in VMware guests running RHEL 8.

Description

CVE-2023-5633 is a high-severity use-after-free vulnerability in Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8 that arises from reference count changes made during previous fixes (CVE-2023-33951 and CVE-2023-33952). It affects systems running as VMware guests with 3D acceleration enabled. A local, unprivileged user could exploit this flaw to escalate privileges without requiring user interaction. The vulnerability impacts confidentiality, integrity, and availability, with a CVSS score of 7.8. No known exploits are currently reported in the wild. European organizations using RHEL 8 in VMware virtualized environments with 3D acceleration enabled are at risk, especially those in countries with high adoption of Red Hat and VMware technologies. Mitigation requires applying vendor patches promptly and disabling 3D acceleration in VMware guests if patching is delayed. Additional hardening of local user privileges and monitoring for unusual privilege escalation attempts is recommended.

References

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