CVE-2023-39443
📋 TL;DR
This vulnerability allows arbitrary code execution when a user opens a malicious .lxt2 file in GTKWave. Attackers can craft files that trigger out-of-bounds writes during LXT2 parsing, potentially leading to full system compromise. Anyone using GTKWave to analyze waveform files is affected.
💻 Affected Systems
- GTKWave
📦 What is this software?
Gtkwave by Tonybybell
⚠️ 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 lateral movement.
Likely Case
Local privilege escalation or arbitrary code execution in the context of the user opening the malicious file, enabling data exfiltration or persistence mechanisms.
If Mitigated
Limited impact if file opening is restricted to trusted sources and GTKWave runs with minimal privileges.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires user interaction (opening malicious file) but the vulnerability is straightforward to exploit once a malicious file is crafted.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: 3.3.116 or later
Vendor Advisory: https://sourceforge.net/p/gtkwave/bugs/43/
Restart Required: No
Instructions:
1. Download latest GTKWave from official source. 2. Uninstall old version. 3. Install new version. 4. Verify version is 3.3.116 or higher.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Disable LXT2 file processing
allPrevent GTKWave from opening .lxt2 files by removing file association or using application controls.
Restrict file sources
allOnly open .lxt2 files from trusted, verified sources and implement file integrity checking.
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Run GTKWave with minimal user privileges to limit impact of exploitation
- Implement application whitelisting to prevent execution of unauthorized code
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check GTKWave version: Run 'gtkwave --version' or check About dialog in GUI.Check Version:
gtkwave --versionVerify Fix Applied:
Confirm version is 3.3.116 or higher using version check command.📡 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 contains 'gtkwave' AND (process_name not in ['gtkwave', 'sh', 'bash'])🔗 References
- https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2024/04/msg00007.html
- https://talosintelligence.com/vulnerability_reports/TALOS-2023-1826
- https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2024/04/msg00007.html
- https://talosintelligence.com/vulnerability_reports/TALOS-2023-1826
- https://www.talosintelligence.com/vulnerability_reports/TALOS-2023-1826
