CVE-2023-53341

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:

of/fdt: run soc memory setup when early_init_dt_scan_memory fails

If memory has been found early_init_dt_scan_memory now returns 1. If it hasn't found any memory it will return 0, allowing other memory setup mechanisms to carry on.

Previously early_init_dt_scan_memory always returned 0 without distinguishing between any kind of memory setup being done or not. Any code path after the early_init_dt_scan memory call in the ramips plat_mem_setup code wouldn't be executed anymore. Making early_init_dt_scan_memory the only way to initialize the memory.

Some boards, including my mt7621 based Cudy X6 board, depend on memory initialization being done via the soc_info.mem_detect function pointer. Those wouldn't be able to obtain memory and panic the kernel during early bootup with the message "early_init_dt_alloc_memory_arch: Failed to allocate 12416 bytes align=0x40".

The patch changes early_init_dt_scan_memory() to return a positive indication when memory is discovered in the device tree, allowing platform code to bail out early. If no memory is found, SoC-specific detection (e.g., soc_info.mem_detect) is executed, fixing early-boot panics on boards that rely on SoC memory probing (e.g., MT7621/Cudy X6). This is a functional boot fix rather than a security issue.

The CVSS score(s) listed for this vulnerability do not reflect the associated product's status, and are included for informational purposes to better understand the severity of this vulnerability.