CVE-2023-29383: Software Security Vulnerability Vulnerability

LOW
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-p9w4-8hh8-crcx
Share
CVSS 3.3
CWE-125 CWE-74
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2023-29383 is a LOW (CVSS 3.3) security vulnerability vulnerability (CWE-125: Out-of-bounds Read) affecting Software libraries in the Maven ecosystem. The weakness occurs when the product reads data past the end, or before the beginning, of the intended buffer.. Remediation is available in the latest vendor maintenance releases.

CVE-2023-29383 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2023-29383
GHSA Identifier GHSA-p9w4-8hh8-crcx
Severity LOW
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 3.3
CWE Classification CWE-125: Out-of-bounds Read
Affected Product Software
Package Ecosystem Maven
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 3.3

The security impact metrics below are parsed directly from the CVSS v3.1 vector string (CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:N).

Attack Vector Local (AV:L)
Attack Complexity Low (AC:L)
Privileges Required Low (PR:L)
User Interaction None (UI:N)
Scope Unchanged (S:U)
Confidentiality None (C:N)
Integrity Low (I:L)
Availability None (A:N)

How to Fix CVE-2023-29383

To remediate this vulnerability, upgrade all affected Software dependencies to a patched release. Both direct and transitive dependencies should be checked, as frameworks or security libraries may pull in vulnerable versions transitively.

Verify Direct and Transitive Dependencies

Run the following command in your project directory to verify that all resolved dependencies use the patched release: 

mvn dependency:tree

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Java application is affected by CVE-2023-29383, inspect your build dependencies using the Maven Dependency Plugin:

mvn dependency:tree

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Software in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than the patched release), your application is affected.

Note: The mvn dependency:tree command inspects the resolved dependency graph declared in your project's POM files; it does not perform automated security scanning or inspect runtime dynamic classpaths. Always verify runtime container classpaths and shaded JARs.

Technical Details

Vulnerability Mechanism & Technical Analysis

This vulnerability is classified under CWE-125: Out-of-bounds Read, where the product reads data past the end, or before the beginning, of the intended buffer. In Software, software state validation or input boundaries are circumvented during processing. Review the official source advisory statement below for specific affected components, classes, and reproduction details.

Source Advisory Statement

In Shadow 4.13, it is possible to inject control characters into fields provided to the SUID program chfn (change finger). Although it is not possible to exploit this directly (e.g., adding a new user fails because \n is in the block list), it is possible to misrepresent the /etc/passwd file when viewed. Use of \r manipulations and Unicode characters to work around blocking of the : character make it possible to give the impression that a new user has been added. In other words, an adversary may be able to convince a system administrator to take the system offline (an indirect, social-engineered denial of service) by demonstrating that "cat /etc/passwd" shows a rogue user account.

References

NVD — CVE-2023-29383 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-29383
Software Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/shadow-maint/shadow/pull/687
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/shadow-maint/shadow/commit/e5905c4b84d4fb90aefcd96ee618411ebfac663d
cert-portal.siemens.com/productcert/html/ss... WEB
https://cert-portal.siemens.com/productcert/html/ssa-202008.html
cert-portal.siemens.com/productcert/html/ss... WEB
https://cert-portal.siemens.com/productcert/html/ssa-398330.html
lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce... WEB
https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2025/04/msg00026.html
www.trustwave.com/en-us/resources/blo... WEB
https://www.trustwave.com/en-us/resources/blogs/spiderlabs-blog/cve-2023-29383-abusing-linux-chfn-to-misrepresent-etc-passwd
Software Security Information SECURITY
https://www.trustwave.com/en-us/resources/security-resources/security-advisories/?fid=31797

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2023-29383?
CVE-2023-29383 is a security vulnerability in Software classified as a security vulnerability vulnerability under CWE-125: Out-of-bounds Read.
Which Software versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to current release patches.
What version fixes CVE-2023-29383?
Upgrading to current release patches (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2023-29383?
CVE-2023-29383 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 3.3 (LOW) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:N.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2023-29383?
CVE-2023-29383 is classified under CWE-125: Out-of-bounds Read (The product reads data past the end, or before the beginning, of the intended buffer.).
How can I check Maven dependencies for CVE-2023-29383?
Run the dependency tree command: 'mvn dependency:tree'. This command lists direct and transitive dependencies in your build configuration so you can verify if a vulnerable version is resolved.
Machine-readable OSV JSON OSV v1.5 Schema
Normalized schema output
View Raw JSON 
{
  "schema_version" : "1.4.0",
  "id" : "GHSA-p9w4-8hh8-crcx",
  "modified" : "2026-10-15T00:30:38Z",
  "published" : "2023-04-15T00:30:37Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2023-29383" ],
  "details" : "In Shadow 4.13, it is possible to inject control characters into fields provided to the SUID program chfn (change finger). Although it is not possible to exploit this directly (e.g., adding a new user fails because \\n is in the block list), it is possible to misrepresent the /etc/passwd file when viewed. Use of \\r manipulations and Unicode characters to work around blocking of the : character make it possible to give the impression that a new user has been added. In other words, an adversary may be able to convince a system administrator to take the system offline (an indirect, social-engineered denial of service) by demonstrating that \"cat /etc/passwd\" shows a rogue user account.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:N"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-29383"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/shadow-maint/shadow/pull/687"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/shadow-maint/shadow/commit/e5905c4b84d4fb90aefcd96ee618411ebfac663d"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://cert-portal.siemens.com/productcert/html/ssa-202008.html"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://cert-portal.siemens.com/productcert/html/ssa-398330.html"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2025/04/msg00026.html"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://www.trustwave.com/en-us/resources/blogs/spiderlabs-blog/cve-2023-29383-abusing-linux-chfn-to-misrepresent-etc-passwd"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://www.trustwave.com/en-us/resources/security-resources/security-advisories/?fid=31797"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-125", "CWE-74" ],
    "severity" : "LOW",
    "github_reviewed" : false,
    "github_reviewed_at" : null,
    "nvd_published_at" : "2023-04-14T22:15:00Z"
  }
}