CVE-2023-4208: Software Security Vulnerability Vulnerability

HIGH
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-ph8p-rrmj-8gf2
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CVSS 7.8
CWE-416
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2023-4208 is a HIGH (CVSS 7.8) security vulnerability vulnerability (CWE-416: Use After Free) affecting Software libraries in the Maven ecosystem. The weakness occurs when the product reuses or references memory after it has been freed. at some point afterward, the memory may be allocated again and saved in another pointer, while the original pointer references a location somewhere within the new allocation. any operations using the original pointer are no longer valid because the memory "belongs" to the code that operates on the new pointer.. Remediation is available in the latest vendor maintenance releases.

CVE-2023-4208 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2023-4208
GHSA Identifier GHSA-ph8p-rrmj-8gf2
Severity HIGH
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 7.8
CWE Classification CWE-416: Use After Free
Affected Product Software
Package Ecosystem Maven
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 7.8

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:H/I:H/A:H).

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 High (C:H)
Integrity High (I:H)
Availability High (A:H)

How to Fix CVE-2023-4208

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-2023-4208, 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-416: Use After Free, where the product reuses or references memory after it has been freed. at some point afterward, the memory may be allocated again and saved in another pointer, while the original pointer references a location somewhere within the new allocation. any operations using the original pointer are no longer valid because the memory "belongs" to the code that operates on the new pointer. 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

A use-after-free vulnerability in the Linux kernel's net/sched: cls_u32 component can be exploited to achieve local privilege escalation. When u32_change() is called on an existing filter, the whole tcf_result struct is always copied into the new instance of the filter. This causes a problem when updating a filter bound to a class, as tcf_unbind_filter() is always called on the old instance in the success path, decreasing filter_cnt of the still referenced class and allowing it to be deleted, leading to a use-after-free. We recommend upgrading past commit 3044b16e7c6fe5d24b1cdbcf1bd0a9d92d1ebd81.

References

NVD — CVE-2023-4208 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-4208
git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kerne... WEB
https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/torvalds/linux.git/commit/?id=3044b16e7c6fe5d24b1cdbcf1bd0a9d92d1ebd81
kernel.dance/3044b16e7c6fe5d24b1... WEB
https://kernel.dance/3044b16e7c6fe5d24b1cdbcf1bd0a9d92d1ebd81
lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce... WEB
https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2024/01/msg00004.html
Software Security Information SECURITY
https://www.debian.org/security/2023/dsa-5492

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2023-4208?
CVE-2023-4208 is a security vulnerability in Software classified as a security vulnerability vulnerability under CWE-416: Use After Free.
Which Software versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to current release patches.
What version fixes CVE-2023-4208?
Upgrading to current release patches (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2023-4208?
CVE-2023-4208 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 7.8 (HIGH) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2023-4208?
CVE-2023-4208 is classified under CWE-416: Use After Free (The product reuses or references memory after it has been freed. At some point afterward, the memory may be allocated again and saved in another pointer, while the original pointer references a location somewhere within the new allocation. Any operations using the original pointer are no longer valid because the memory "belongs" to the code that operates on the new pointer.).
How can I check Maven dependencies for CVE-2023-4208?
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 
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  "schema_version" : "1.4.0",
  "id" : "GHSA-ph8p-rrmj-8gf2",
  "modified" : "2025-02-13T18:31:51Z",
  "published" : "2023-09-06T15:30:27Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2023-4208" ],
  "details" : "A use-after-free vulnerability in the Linux kernel's net/sched: cls_u32 component can be exploited to achieve local privilege escalation.\n\nWhen u32_change() is called on an existing filter, the whole tcf_result struct is always copied into the new instance of the filter. This causes a problem when updating a filter bound to a class, as tcf_unbind_filter() is always called on the old instance in the success path, decreasing filter_cnt of the still referenced class and allowing it to be deleted, leading to a use-after-free.\n\nWe recommend upgrading past commit 3044b16e7c6fe5d24b1cdbcf1bd0a9d92d1ebd81.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H"
  } ],
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  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
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  }, {
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    "url" : "https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/torvalds/linux.git/commit/?id=3044b16e7c6fe5d24b1cdbcf1bd0a9d92d1ebd81"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://kernel.dance/3044b16e7c6fe5d24b1cdbcf1bd0a9d92d1ebd81"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2024/01/msg00004.html"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://www.debian.org/security/2023/dsa-5492"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-416" ],
    "severity" : "HIGH",
    "github_reviewed" : false,
    "github_reviewed_at" : null,
    "nvd_published_at" : "2023-09-06T14:15:11Z"
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}