CVE-2023-46239: Github.com/quic go/quic go Quic-go Vulnerable To Pointer Dereference Vulnerability

HIGH
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-3q6m-v84f-6p9h
CVSS 7.5
CWE-476 CWE-248
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2023-46239 is a HIGH (CVSS 7.5) quic-go vulnerable to pointer dereference vulnerability (CWE-476: NULL Pointer Dereference) affecting Github.com/quic go/quic go libraries in the Go ecosystem. The issue involves quic-go vulnerable to pointer dereference that can lead to panic. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 0.37.3.

CVE-2023-46239 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2023-46239
GHSA Identifier GHSA-3q6m-v84f-6p9h
Severity HIGH
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 7.5
CWE Classification CWE-476: NULL Pointer Dereference
Affected Product Github.com/quic go/quic go
Package Ecosystem Go
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 7.5

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:N/I:N/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 None (C:N)
Integrity None (I:N)
Availability High (A:H)

How to Fix CVE-2023-46239

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

github.com/quic-go/quic-go fixed: 0.37.3
Upgrade github.com/quic-go/quic-go to 0.37.3
Verify Direct and Transitive Dependencies

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

inspect dependencies for github.com/quic-go/quic-go

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your application is affected by CVE-2023-46239, inspect your project dependencies for Github.com/quic go/quic go:

inspect dependencies for github.com/quic-go/quic-go

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Github.com/quic go/quic go in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 0.37.3), your application is affected.

Note: Verify declared build manifests and deployed runtime container environments.

Technical Details

Vulnerability Mechanism & Technical Analysis

This vulnerability is classified under CWE-476: NULL Pointer Dereference, where the product dereferences a pointer that it expects to be valid but is null. In Github.com/quic go/quic go, 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

quic-go is an implementation of the [QUIC](https://datatracker.ietf.org/doc/html/rfc9000) transport protocol in Go. By serializing an ACK frame after the CRYTPO that allows a node to complete the handshake, a remote node could trigger a nil pointer dereference (leading to a panic) when the node attempted to drop the Handshake packet number space. **Impact** An attacker can bring down a quic-go node with very minimal effort. Completing the QUIC handshake only requires sending and receiving a few packets. **Patches** [v0.37.3](https://github.com/quic-go/quic-go/releases/tag/v0.37.3) contains a patch. Versions before v0.37.0 are not affected.

CVE-2023-46239 Affected Github.com/quic go/quic go Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
0.37.3
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
github.com/quic-go/quic-go
Go
≥ 0.37.0
< 0.37.3
0.37.3

References

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2023-46239?
CVE-2023-46239 is a security vulnerability in Github.com/quic go/quic go involving quic-go vulnerable to pointer dereference that can lead to panic under CWE-476: NULL Pointer Dereference.
Which Github.com/quic go/quic go versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 0.37.3 across affected packages: github.com/quic-go/quic-go.
What version fixes CVE-2023-46239?
Upgrading to 0.37.3 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is github.com/quic-go/quic-go affected?
Yes, github.com/quic-go/quic-go is affected in releases prior to 0.37.3. Upgrade your dependency to 0.37.3 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2023-46239?
CVE-2023-46239 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 7.5 (HIGH) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2023-46239?
CVE-2023-46239 is classified under CWE-476: NULL Pointer Dereference (The product dereferences a pointer that it expects to be valid but is NULL.).
How can I check Go dependencies for CVE-2023-46239?
Run the dependency tree command: 'inspect dependencies for github.com/quic-go/quic-go'. 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
{
  "schema_version" : "1.4.0",
  "id" : "GHSA-3q6m-v84f-6p9h",
  "modified" : "2023-11-01T06:07:08Z",
  "published" : "2023-10-30T15:08:05Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2023-46239" ],
  "summary" : "quic-go vulnerable to pointer dereference that can lead to panic",
  "details" : "quic-go is an implementation of the [QUIC](https://datatracker.ietf.org/doc/html/rfc9000) transport protocol in Go. By serializing an ACK frame after the CRYTPO that allows a node to complete the handshake, a remote node could trigger a nil pointer dereference (leading to a panic) when the node attempted to drop the Handshake packet number space.\n\n**Impact**\n\nAn attacker can bring down a quic-go node with very minimal effort. Completing the QUIC handshake only requires sending and receiving a few packets.\n\n**Patches**\n\n[v0.37.3](https://github.com/quic-go/quic-go/releases/tag/v0.37.3) contains a patch. Versions before v0.37.0 are not affected.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Go",
      "name" : "github.com/quic-go/quic-go"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0.37.0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "0.37.3"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/quic-go/quic-go/security/advisories/GHSA-3q6m-v84f-6p9h"
  }, {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-46239"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/quic-go/quic-go/commit/b6a4725b60f1fe04e8f1ddcc3114e290fcea1617"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/quic-go/quic-go"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/quic-go/quic-go/releases/tag/v0.37.3"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-248", "CWE-476" ],
    "severity" : "HIGH",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2023-10-30T15:08:05Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2023-10-31T16:15:09Z"
  }
}