CVE-2023-37418 – CVE-2023-37418 is an out-of-bounds write vulner... (How to Fix)

Q: What is the severity of CVE-2023-37418?

CVE-2023-37418 has a CVSS score of 7.8 (HIGH). CVE-2023-37418 is an out-of-bounds write vulnerability in GTKWave's VCD file parser that allows arbitrary code execution when processing a malicious .vcd file. Users who open specially crafted files with GTKWave or use the vcd2vzt conversion utility are affected. This vulnerability requires user interaction to trigger.

📋 TL;DR

CVE-2023-37418 is an out-of-bounds write vulnerability in GTKWave's VCD file parser that allows arbitrary code execution when processing a malicious .vcd file. Users who open specially crafted files with GTKWave or use the vcd2vzt conversion utility are affected. This vulnerability requires user interaction to trigger.

💻 Affected Systems

Products:

GTKWave

Versions: Version 3.3.115 and potentially earlier versions

Operating Systems: Linux, Windows, macOS

Default Config Vulnerable: ⚠️ Yes

Notes: Vulnerability triggers through both GUI file opening and command-line vcd2vzt utility. All installations with vulnerable versions are affected.

📦 What is this software?

Gtkwave by Tonybybell

View all CVEs affecting Gtkwave →

⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact

🔴

Worst Case

Full system compromise with attacker gaining the same privileges as the user running GTKWave, potentially leading to data theft, ransomware deployment, or persistent backdoor installation.

🟠

Likely Case

Local privilege escalation or system compromise when users open untrusted .vcd files, particularly in engineering environments where waveform analysis is common.

🟢

If Mitigated

Limited impact if users only open trusted files from verified sources and GTKWave runs with minimal privileges.

🌐 Internet-Facing: LOW - Requires user to download and open malicious file, not directly exploitable over network.

🏢 Internal Only: MEDIUM - Internal users could be tricked into opening malicious files via phishing or shared drives.

🎯 Exploit Status

Public PoC: ⚠️ Yes

Weaponized: LIKELY

Unauthenticated Exploit: ✅ No

Complexity: LOW

Exploit requires user interaction to open malicious file. Proof of concept details available in Talos Intelligence report.

🛠️ Fix & Mitigation

✅ Official Fix

Patch Version: Versions after 3.3.115 (check specific distribution packages)

Vendor Advisory: https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2024/04/msg00007.html

Restart Required: No

Instructions:

1. Check current GTKWave version. 2. Update via package manager: 'sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade gtkwave' (Debian/Ubuntu) or equivalent for other distributions. 3. Verify update completed successfully.

🔧 Temporary Workarounds

Restrict .vcd file handling

all

Configure system to open .vcd files with alternative software or require manual verification before opening

Run GTKWave with reduced privileges

linux

Execute GTKWave with limited user permissions to contain potential damage

sudo -u restricted_user gtkwave

🧯 If You Can't Patch

Only open .vcd files from trusted, verified sources
Use alternative waveform analysis software that is not vulnerable

🔍 How to Verify

Check if Vulnerable:

Check GTKWave version: 'gtkwave --version' or 'dpkg -l | grep gtkwave' on Debian-based systems

Check Version:

gtkwave --version 2>/dev/null || dpkg -l | grep gtkwave || rpm -q gtkwave

Verify Fix Applied:

Confirm version is newer than 3.3.115 and test with known safe .vcd files

📡 Detection & Monitoring

Log Indicators:

GTKWave crashes with .vcd files
Unusual process spawning from GTKWave
Memory access violation errors

Network Indicators:

Downloads of .vcd files from untrusted sources

SIEM Query:

Process:gtkwave AND (EventID:1000 OR ExceptionCode:c0000005) OR FileExtension:.vcd AND SourceIP:(external_ips)

📊 Metadata

CVE ID: CVE-2023-37418

CVSS v3 Score: 7.8 (HIGH)

CVSS Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

CWE: CWE-787

Published: January 8, 2024

Last Updated: November 4, 2025

🔗 References

https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2024/04/msg00007.html
https://talosintelligence.com/vulnerability_reports/TALOS-2023-1804 Exploit,Third Party Advisory
https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2024/04/msg00007.html
https://talosintelligence.com/vulnerability_reports/TALOS-2023-1804 Exploit,Third Party Advisory
https://www.talosintelligence.com/vulnerability_reports/TALOS-2023-1804

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🔗 Related Vulnerabilities

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