CVE-2023-39272
📋 TL;DR
CVE-2023-39272 is an integer overflow vulnerability in GTKWave's LXT2 file parser that can lead to arbitrary code execution when a malicious .lxt2 file is opened. Users of GTKWave 3.3.115 who open untrusted waveform files are affected. The vulnerability occurs during memory allocation for the lsb array when parsing facgeometry data.
💻 Affected Systems
- GTKWave
📦 What is this software?
Gtkwave by Tonybybell
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Complete system compromise with attacker gaining full control of the victim's machine through arbitrary code execution.
Likely Case
Local privilege escalation or remote code execution depending on how the malicious file is delivered and opened.
If Mitigated
Denial of service or application crash if exploit fails or is blocked by security controls.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires user interaction to open a malicious file. No public exploit code has been identified, but technical details are available in the Talos report.
🛠️ 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. Check current GTKWave version. 2. Update to latest version from official repository. 3. Verify the update was successful. 4. Remove any cached malicious .lxt2 files.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Disable LXT2 file opening
allPrevent GTKWave from opening .lxt2 files by removing file association or using application controls.
Sandbox execution
allRun GTKWave in a sandboxed environment to limit potential damage from exploitation.
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Restrict .lxt2 file opening to trusted sources only
- Implement application whitelisting to prevent unauthorized GTKWave execution
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check GTKWave version: 'gtkwave --version' should show 3.3.115 or earlier.Check Version:
gtkwave --versionVerify Fix Applied:
After update, verify version is newer than 3.3.115 and test opening known safe .lxt2 files.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- GTKWave crashes when opening .lxt2 files
- Unusual memory allocation patterns in process monitoring
Network Indicators:
- Downloads of .lxt2 files from untrusted sources
SIEM Query:
process_name:"gtkwave" AND (event_type:"crash" OR file_extension:".lxt2")🔗 References
- https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2024/04/msg00007.html
- https://talosintelligence.com/vulnerability_reports/TALOS-2023-1818
- https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2024/04/msg00007.html
- https://talosintelligence.com/vulnerability_reports/TALOS-2023-1818
- https://www.talosintelligence.com/vulnerability_reports/TALOS-2023-1818
