CVE-2023-4156: Heap out of bound read in builtin.c

Q: What is the vulnerability ID?

The vulnerability ID is CVE-2023-4156.

Q: What is the title of the vulnerability?

The title of the vulnerability is 'heap out of bound read in builtin.c'.

Q: What is the severity of CVE-2023-4156?

The severity of CVE-2023-4156 is high with a severity value of 7.1.

Q: What is the affected software for CVE-2023-4156?

The affected software for CVE-2023-4156 is gawk.

Q: How can this vulnerability be fixed?

To fix CVE-2023-4156, update gawk to version 1:5.2.1-2 or apply the recommended patches.

Published Jun 19, 2023

Updated

A heap out of bound read issue exists in builtin.c of gawk prior to version 5.1.1. The array "theargs" takes an unsafe index "val", while it does not validate the index to ensure the index refers to a valid position in the array (e.g., exceedingly large or negative). The vulnerability can cause crash of the software and might be used by attackers to read sensitive information.

https://mail.gnu.org/archive/html/bug-gawk/2022-08/msg00000.html https://mail.gnu.org/archive/html/bug-gawk/2022-08/msg00023.html https://fossies.org/linux/gawk/ChangeLog#470 (Line: 470-475)

Other sources

A heap out-of-bounds read flaw was found in builtin.c in the gawk package. This issue may lead to a crash and could be used to read sensitive information.

— Ubuntu

Affected Software

12 affected componentsFixes available

ubuntu/gawk<1:5.2.1-1

1:5.2.1-1

ubuntu/gawk<1:4.1.4+dfsg-1ubuntu0.1~

1:4.1.4+dfsg-1ubuntu0.1~

ubuntu/gawk<1:5.0.1+dfsg-1ubuntu0.1

1:5.0.1+dfsg-1ubuntu0.1

ubuntu/gawk<1:5.1.0-1ubuntu0.1

1:5.1.0-1ubuntu0.1

ubuntu/gawk<1:4.0.1+dfsg-2.1ubuntu2+

1:4.0.1+dfsg-2.1ubuntu2+

ubuntu/gawk<1:4.1.3+dfsg-0.1ubuntu0.1~

1:4.1.3+dfsg-0.1ubuntu0.1~

debian/gawk<=1:4.2.1+dfsg-1, <=1:5.1.0-1

1:5.2.1-2

redhat/gawk<5.1.1

5.1.1

GNU gawk<5.1.1

redhat Enterprise Linux=6.0

redhat Enterprise Linux=7.0

Fedoraproject Fedora=38

Remediation

Recommended actions to resolve this vulnerability, in priority order.

Upgrade
Upgrade ubuntu/gawk to a version that resolves this vulnerability.
Fixed in 1:5.2.1-1
Upgrade
Upgrade ubuntu/gawk to a version that resolves this vulnerability.
Fixed in 1:4.1.4+dfsg-1ubuntu0.1~
Upgrade
Upgrade ubuntu/gawk to a version that resolves this vulnerability.
Fixed in 1:5.0.1+dfsg-1ubuntu0.1
Upgrade
Upgrade ubuntu/gawk to a version that resolves this vulnerability.
Fixed in 1:5.1.0-1ubuntu0.1
Upgrade
Upgrade ubuntu/gawk to a version that resolves this vulnerability.
Fixed in 1:4.0.1+dfsg-2.1ubuntu2+
Upgrade
Upgrade ubuntu/gawk to a version that resolves this vulnerability.
Fixed in 1:4.1.3+dfsg-0.1ubuntu0.1~
Upgrade
Upgrade debian/gawk to a version that resolves this vulnerability.
Fixed in 1:5.2.1-2
Upgrade
Upgrade redhat/gawk to a version that resolves this vulnerability.
Fixed in 5.1.1
Upgrade
Upgrade gawk to a version that resolves this vulnerability.
Fixed in 5.1.1

Event History

Jun 19, 2023

Data Sourced

via Red Hat·12:39 PM

DescriptionSeverityAffected Software

Aug 8, 2023

CVE Published

via Ubuntu·12:00 AM

Sep 25, 2023

CVE Published

via MITRE·05:20 PM

Data Sourced

via MITRE·05:20 PM

DescriptionSeverityWeakness

Parent advisories

This vulnerability appears in the following advisories.

USN-6373-1

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the vulnerability ID?