CVE-2023-38408: Software Security Vulnerability Vulnerability

CRITICAL
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-px36-p9hv-7h2v
Share
CVSS 9.8
CWE-428
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2023-38408 is a CRITICAL (CVSS 9.8) security vulnerability vulnerability (CWE-428: Unquoted Search Path or Element) affecting Software libraries in the Maven ecosystem. The weakness occurs when the product uses a search path that contains an unquoted element, in which the element contains whitespace or other separators. this can cause the product to access resources in a parent path.. Remediation is available in the latest vendor maintenance releases.

CVE-2023-38408 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2023-38408
GHSA Identifier GHSA-px36-p9hv-7h2v
Severity CRITICAL
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 9.8
CWE Classification CWE-428: Unquoted Search Path or Element
Affected Product Software
Package Ecosystem Maven
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 9.8

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

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

How to Fix CVE-2023-38408

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-2023-38408, 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-428: Unquoted Search Path or Element, where the product uses a search path that contains an unquoted element, in which the element contains whitespace or other separators. this can cause the product to access resources in a parent path. 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

The PKCS#11 feature in ssh-agent in OpenSSH before 9.3p2 has an insufficiently trustworthy search path, leading to remote code execution if an agent is forwarded to an attacker-controlled system. (Code in /usr/lib is not necessarily safe for loading into ssh-agent.) NOTE: this issue exists because of an incomplete fix for CVE-2016-10009.

References

NVD — CVE-2023-38408 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-38408
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/openbsd/src/commit/7bc29a9d5cd697290aa056e94ecee6253d3425f8
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/openbsd/src/commit/f03a4faa55c4ce0818324701dadbf91988d7351d
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/openbsd/src/commit/f8f5a6b003981bb824329dc987d101977beda7ca
www.vicarius.io/vsociety/posts/expl... WEB
https://www.vicarius.io/vsociety/posts/exploring-opensshs-agent-forwarding-rce-cve-2023-38408
www.qualys.com/2023/07/19/cve-2023... WEB
https://www.qualys.com/2023/07/19/cve-2023-38408/rce-openssh-forwarded-ssh-agent.txt
www.openssh.com/txt/release-9.3p2 WEB
https://www.openssh.com/txt/release-9.3p2
Software Security Information SECURITY
https://www.openssh.com/security.html
support.apple.com/kb/ht213940 WEB
https://support.apple.com/kb/HT213940
Software Security Information SECURITY
https://security.netapp.com/advisory/ntap-20230803-0010
Software Security Information SECURITY
https://security.gentoo.org/glsa/202307-01
news.ycombinator.com/item WEB
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36790196
lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/packa... WEB
https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce@lists.fedoraproject.org/message/RAXVQS6ZYTULFAK3TEJHRLKZALJS3AOU
lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/packa... WEB
https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce@lists.fedoraproject.org/message/CEBTJJINE2I3FHAUKKNQWMFGYMLSMWKQ
lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/packa... WEB
https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/RAXVQS6ZYTULFAK3TEJHRLKZALJS3AOU
lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/packa... WEB
https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/CEBTJJINE2I3FHAUKKNQWMFGYMLSMWKQ
lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce... WEB
https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2023/08/msg00021.html
cert-portal.siemens.com/productcert/html/ss... WEB
https://cert-portal.siemens.com/productcert/html/ssa-398330.html
blog.qualys.com/vulnerabilities-thr... WEB
https://blog.qualys.com/vulnerabilities-threat-research/2023/07/19/cve-2023-38408-remote-code-execution-in-opensshs-forwarded-ssh-agent
Software Security Information SECURITY
http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/173661/OpenSSH-Forwarded-SSH-Agent-Remote-Code-Execution.html
Software Security Information SECURITY
http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2023/07/20/1
Software Security Information SECURITY
http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2023/07/20/2
Software Security Information SECURITY
http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2023/09/22/11
Software Security Information SECURITY
http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2023/09/22/9

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2023-38408?
CVE-2023-38408 is a security vulnerability in Software classified as a security vulnerability vulnerability under CWE-428: Unquoted Search Path or Element.
Which Software versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to current release patches.
What version fixes CVE-2023-38408?
Upgrading to current release patches (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2023-38408?
CVE-2023-38408 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 9.8 (CRITICAL) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2023-38408?
CVE-2023-38408 is classified under CWE-428: Unquoted Search Path or Element (The product uses a search path that contains an unquoted element, in which the element contains whitespace or other separators. This can cause the product to access resources in a parent path.).
How can I check Maven dependencies for CVE-2023-38408?
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-px36-p9hv-7h2v",
  "modified" : "2026-10-15T00:30:39Z",
  "published" : "2023-07-20T03:30:25Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2023-38408" ],
  "details" : "The PKCS#11 feature in ssh-agent in OpenSSH before 9.3p2 has an insufficiently trustworthy search path, leading to remote code execution if an agent is forwarded to an attacker-controlled system. (Code in /usr/lib is not necessarily safe for loading into ssh-agent.) NOTE: this issue exists because of an incomplete fix for CVE-2016-10009.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-38408"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/openbsd/src/commit/7bc29a9d5cd697290aa056e94ecee6253d3425f8"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/openbsd/src/commit/f03a4faa55c4ce0818324701dadbf91988d7351d"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/openbsd/src/commit/f8f5a6b003981bb824329dc987d101977beda7ca"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://www.vicarius.io/vsociety/posts/exploring-opensshs-agent-forwarding-rce-cve-2023-38408"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://www.qualys.com/2023/07/19/cve-2023-38408/rce-openssh-forwarded-ssh-agent.txt"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://www.openssh.com/txt/release-9.3p2"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://www.openssh.com/security.html"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://support.apple.com/kb/HT213940"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://security.netapp.com/advisory/ntap-20230803-0010"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://security.gentoo.org/glsa/202307-01"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36790196"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce@lists.fedoraproject.org/message/RAXVQS6ZYTULFAK3TEJHRLKZALJS3AOU"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce@lists.fedoraproject.org/message/CEBTJJINE2I3FHAUKKNQWMFGYMLSMWKQ"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/RAXVQS6ZYTULFAK3TEJHRLKZALJS3AOU"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/CEBTJJINE2I3FHAUKKNQWMFGYMLSMWKQ"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2023/08/msg00021.html"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://cert-portal.siemens.com/productcert/html/ssa-398330.html"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://blog.qualys.com/vulnerabilities-threat-research/2023/07/19/cve-2023-38408-remote-code-execution-in-opensshs-forwarded-ssh-agent"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/173661/OpenSSH-Forwarded-SSH-Agent-Remote-Code-Execution.html"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2023/07/20/1"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2023/07/20/2"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2023/09/22/11"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2023/09/22/9"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-428" ],
    "severity" : "CRITICAL",
    "github_reviewed" : false,
    "github_reviewed_at" : null,
    "nvd_published_at" : "2023-07-20T03:15:10Z"
  }
}