CVE-2023-38651 – This CVE describes integer overflow vulnerabili... (How to Fix)

Q: What is the severity of CVE-2023-38651?

CVE-2023-38651 has a CVSS score of 7.0 (HIGH). This CVE describes integer overflow vulnerabilities in GTKWave's VZT file parser that can lead to memory corruption when processing specially crafted .vzt files. Attackers can exploit this by tricking users into opening malicious files, potentially allowing arbitrary code execution. Users of GTKWave 3.3.115 who open untrusted .vzt files are affected.

📋 TL;DR

This CVE describes integer overflow vulnerabilities in GTKWave's VZT file parser that can lead to memory corruption when processing specially crafted .vzt files. Attackers can exploit this by tricking users into opening malicious files, potentially allowing arbitrary code execution. Users of GTKWave 3.3.115 who open untrusted .vzt files are affected.

💻 Affected Systems

Products:

GTKWave

Versions: 3.3.115

Operating Systems: Linux, Windows, macOS

Default Config Vulnerable: ⚠️ Yes

Notes: All installations of the affected version are vulnerable when opening .vzt files.

📦 What is this software?

Gtkwave by Tonybybell

View all CVEs affecting Gtkwave →

⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact

🔴

Worst Case

Remote code execution with the privileges of the user running GTKWave, potentially leading to full system compromise.

🟠

Likely Case

Application crash (denial of service) or limited memory corruption that could be leveraged for further exploitation.

🟢

If Mitigated

No impact if users only open trusted .vzt files or if the application is patched.

🌐 Internet-Facing: LOW - Requires user interaction to open malicious files, not directly network exploitable.

🏢 Internal Only: MEDIUM - Internal users could be targeted via phishing or shared malicious files.

🎯 Exploit Status

Public PoC: ✅ No

Weaponized: UNKNOWN

Unauthenticated Exploit: ✅ No

Complexity: MEDIUM

Exploitation requires user interaction to open malicious files. No public exploit code has been identified.

🛠️ Fix & Mitigation

✅ Official Fix

Patch Version: Versions after 3.3.115

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

Restart Required: No

Instructions:

1. Update GTKWave to the latest version from official sources. 2. For Debian systems: apt update && apt upgrade gtkwave. 3. Verify the update was successful.

🔧 Temporary Workarounds

Restrict .vzt file handling

all

Configure system to only allow trusted .vzt files to be opened with GTKWave

Use alternative viewer

all

Temporarily use alternative VCD/VZT file viewers until patched

🧯 If You Can't Patch

Implement strict file handling policies to prevent opening untrusted .vzt files
Run GTKWave in a sandboxed environment with limited privileges

🔍 How to Verify

Check if Vulnerable:

Check GTKWave version: gtkwave --version. If version is 3.3.115, system is vulnerable.

Check Version:

gtkwave --version

Verify Fix Applied:

After update, run gtkwave --version and confirm version is newer than 3.3.115.

📡 Detection & Monitoring

Log Indicators:

GTKWave crash logs
Unexpected memory access errors in system logs

Network Indicators:

Unusual .vzt file downloads from untrusted sources

SIEM Query:

Process:gtkwave AND (EventID:1000 OR ExceptionCode:c0000005)

📊 Metadata

CVE ID: CVE-2023-38651

CVSS v3 Score: 7.0 (HIGH)

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

CWE: CWE-190

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-2023-1814 Exploit,Third Party Advisory
https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2024/04/msg00007.html
https://talosintelligence.com/vulnerability_reports/TALOS-2023-1814 Exploit,Third Party Advisory
https://www.talosintelligence.com/vulnerability_reports/TALOS-2023-1814

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🔗 Related Vulnerabilities

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