CVE-2023-6176: Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8 · Vulnerability
Affects Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8Source CVE Database V5
Not known to be exploited · CVSS 4.7 Medium.
Data as of 26 Oct 2026, 06:26 UTC
- EPSS
- 0.2% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 16% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:HExploitation evidence
Disclosed: evidence found.
CVE published 16 Nov 2023
Detectable: no evidence on record.
No public nuclei template indexed
Weaponised: no evidence on record.
No public exploit code indexed in Metasploit or Exploit-DB
Exploited in the wildExploited: no evidence on record.
Not in CISA KEV and no source reports exploitation
Observed by OffSeq MirageSeen by 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
AI-suggested
1. Monitor Red Hat’s official security advisories closely and apply patches as soon as they are released to address CVE-2023-6176. 2. Restrict local user access to systems running Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8, enforcing the principle of least privilege to minimize potential attackers with local access. 3. Implement strict socket and network configuration policies to limit the ability of users to craft malicious packets that exploit the scatterwalk API. 4. Use kernel hardening techniques such as SELinux or AppArmor to contain the impact of potential exploits. 5. Regularly audit and monitor kernel logs and system behavior for signs of crashes or suspicious socket activity indicative of exploitation attempts. 6. Employ intrusion detection systems (IDS) that can detect anomalous local activity related to socket configurations. 7. Educate system administrators and security teams about this vulnerability to ensure rapid response and mitigation. 8. Consider isolating critical systems or using virtualization/containerization to limit the blast radius of potential exploits.
Description
A null pointer dereference flaw was found in the Linux kernel API for the cryptographic algorithm scatterwalk functionality. This issue occurs when a user constructs a malicious packet with specific socket configuration, which could allow a local user to crash the system or escalate their privileges on the system.
References
- access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2024:2394 (opens in a new tab)
- access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2024:2950 (opens in a new tab)
- access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2024:3138 (opens in a new tab)
- access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2023-6176 (opens in a new tab)
- bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=2219359 (opens in a new tab)
- git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/torvalds/linux.git/commit/?id=cfaa80c91f6f99b9342b6557f0f0e1143e434066 (opens in a new tab)
- packetstormsecurity.com/files/177029/Kernel-Live-Patch-Security-Notice-LSN-0100-1.html (opens in a new tab)