CVE-2023-38545: Software Security Vulnerability Vulnerability
CRITICALCVE-2023-38545 is a CRITICAL (CVSS 9.8) security vulnerability vulnerability (CWE-787: Out-of-bounds Write) affecting Software libraries in the Maven ecosystem. The weakness occurs when the product writes data past the end, or before the beginning, of the intended buffer.. Remediation is available in the latest vendor maintenance releases.
CVE-2023-38545 at a Glance
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).
How to Fix CVE-2023-38545
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.
Run the following command in your project directory to verify that all resolved dependencies use the patched release:
mvn dependency:treeHow to Check if You Are Affected
To determine whether your Java application is affected by CVE-2023-38545, inspect your build dependencies using the Maven Dependency Plugin:
mvn dependency:treeAnalyze 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-787: Out-of-bounds Write, where the product writes 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
References
Frequently Asked Questions
What is CVE-2023-38545?
Which Software versions are affected?
What version fixes CVE-2023-38545?
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2023-38545?
What CWE is associated with CVE-2023-38545?
How can I check Maven dependencies for CVE-2023-38545?
Machine-readable OSV JSON
OSV v1.5 Schema
{
"schema_version" : "1.4.0",
"id" : "GHSA-7xw9-w465-6x42",
"modified" : "2026-05-12T12:31:33Z",
"published" : "2023-10-18T06:30:30Z",
"aliases" : [ "CVE-2023-38545" ],
"details" : "This flaw makes curl overflow a heap based buffer in the SOCKS5 proxy\nhandshake.\n\nWhen curl is asked to pass along the host name to the SOCKS5 proxy to allow\nthat to resolve the address instead of it getting done by curl itself, the\nmaximum length that host name can be is 255 bytes.\n\nIf the host name is detected to be longer, curl switches to local name\nresolving and instead passes on the resolved address only. Due to this bug,\nthe local variable that means \"let the host resolve the name\" could get the\nwrong value during a slow SOCKS5 handshake, and contrary to the intention,\ncopy the too long host name to the target buffer instead of copying just the\nresolved address there.\n\nThe target buffer being a heap based buffer, and the host name coming from the\nURL that curl has been told to operate with.",
"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-2023-38545"
}, {
"type" : "WEB",
"url" : "https://www.secpod.com/blog/high-severity-heap-buffer-overflow-vulnerability"
}, {
"type" : "WEB",
"url" : "https://support.apple.com/kb/HT214063"
}, {
"type" : "WEB",
"url" : "https://support.apple.com/kb/HT214058"
}, {
"type" : "WEB",
"url" : "https://support.apple.com/kb/HT214057"
}, {
"type" : "WEB",
"url" : "https://support.apple.com/kb/HT214036"
}, {
"type" : "WEB",
"url" : "https://security.netapp.com/advisory/ntap-20240201-0005"
}, {
"type" : "WEB",
"url" : "https://security.netapp.com/advisory/ntap-20231027-0009"
}, {
"type" : "WEB",
"url" : "https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce@lists.fedoraproject.org/message/OGMXNRNSJ4ETDK6FRNU3J7SABXPWCHSQ"
}, {
"type" : "WEB",
"url" : "https://github.com/dbrugman/CVE-2023-38545-POC"
}, {
"type" : "WEB",
"url" : "https://github.com/bcdannyboy/CVE-2023-38545"
}, {
"type" : "WEB",
"url" : "https://github.com/UTsweetyfish/CVE-2023-38545"
}, {
"type" : "WEB",
"url" : "https://forum.vmssoftware.com/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=8868"
}, {
"type" : "WEB",
"url" : "https://curl.se/docs/CVE-2023-38545.html"
}, {
"type" : "WEB",
"url" : "https://cert-portal.siemens.com/productcert/html/ssa-943925.html"
}, {
"type" : "WEB",
"url" : "https://cert-portal.siemens.com/productcert/html/ssa-832273.html"
}, {
"type" : "WEB",
"url" : "https://cert-portal.siemens.com/productcert/html/ssa-507364.html"
}, {
"type" : "WEB",
"url" : "https://cert-portal.siemens.com/productcert/html/ssa-093430.html"
}, {
"type" : "WEB",
"url" : "https://cert-portal.siemens.com/productcert/html/ssa-082556.html"
}, {
"type" : "WEB",
"url" : "http://seclists.org/fulldisclosure/2024/Jan/34"
}, {
"type" : "WEB",
"url" : "http://seclists.org/fulldisclosure/2024/Jan/37"
}, {
"type" : "WEB",
"url" : "http://seclists.org/fulldisclosure/2024/Jan/38"
} ],
"database_specific" : {
"cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-787" ],
"severity" : "CRITICAL",
"github_reviewed" : false,
"github_reviewed_at" : null,
"nvd_published_at" : "2023-10-18T04:15:11Z"
}
}