CVE-2023-37416
📋 TL;DR
CVE-2023-37416 is an out-of-bounds write vulnerability in GTKWave's VCD file parser that allows arbitrary code execution when a malicious .vcd file is opened. Users of GTKWave 3.3.115 who open untrusted VCD files are affected. The vulnerability exists in the legacy GUI parsing code for value change dump files.
💻 Affected Systems
- GTKWave
📦 What is this software?
Gtkwave by Tonybybell
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Complete system compromise via arbitrary code execution with user privileges, potentially leading to data theft, ransomware deployment, or lateral movement.
Likely Case
Local privilege escalation or malware installation when a user opens a malicious VCD file from an untrusted source.
If Mitigated
Limited impact if users only open trusted VCD files and GTKWave runs with minimal privileges.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires user interaction to open a malicious file; no public exploit code is available as of current knowledge.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: Versions after 3.3.115 (check upstream for specific fixed version)
Vendor Advisory: https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2024/04/msg00007.html
Restart Required: No
Instructions:
1. Check current GTKWave version. 2. Update to latest version from official repository. 3. Verify update by checking version again.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Restrict VCD file handling
allConfigure system to open VCD files with alternative trusted software or disable automatic opening with GTKWave.
Run with reduced privileges
allExecute GTKWave with limited user permissions to reduce impact of successful exploitation.
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Restrict GTKWave usage to trusted VCD files only from verified sources.
- Implement application whitelisting to prevent execution of unauthorized binaries from GTKWave process.
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check GTKWave version; if it's 3.3.115, the system is vulnerable.Check Version:
gtkwave --versionVerify Fix Applied:
Verify GTKWave version is updated to a version after 3.3.115.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- GTKWave crash logs with memory access violations
- Unexpected child processes spawned from GTKWave
Network Indicators:
- Unusual outbound connections from GTKWave process
SIEM Query:
Process creation where parent process is gtkwave AND (command line contains .vcd OR file path contains .vcd)🔗 References
- https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2024/04/msg00007.html
- https://talosintelligence.com/vulnerability_reports/TALOS-2023-1804
- https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2024/04/msg00007.html
- https://talosintelligence.com/vulnerability_reports/TALOS-2023-1804
- https://www.talosintelligence.com/vulnerability_reports/TALOS-2023-1804
