#VU81865 Heap-based buffer overflow in cURL - CVE-2023-38545
Published: October 11, 2023 / Updated: February 21, 2025
Vulnerability identifier: #VU81865
Vulnerability risk: High
CVSSv4.0: CVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:A/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:P/U:Amber
CVE-ID: CVE-2023-38545
CWE-ID: CWE-122
Exploitation vector: Remote access
Exploit availability:
Public exploit is available
Vulnerable software:
cURL
cURL
Software vendor:
curl.haxx.se
curl.haxx.se
Description
The vulnerability allows a remote attacker to execute arbitrary code on the target system.
The vulnerability exists due to a boundary error in the SOCKS5 proxy handshake. A remote attacker can trick the victim to visit a malicious website, trigger a heap-based buffer overflow and execute arbitrary code on the target system.
Successful exploitation of this vulnerability may result in complete compromise of vulnerable system but requires that SOCKS5 proxy is used and that SOCKS5 handshake is slow (e.g. under heavy load or DoS attack).
Remediation
Install updates from vendor's website.