{"id":36225,"date":"2025-05-08T06:41:33","date_gmt":"2025-05-08T06:41:33","guid":{"rendered":""},"modified":"2025-09-03T18:45:22","modified_gmt":"2025-09-04T00:45:22","slug":"cve-2023-36915-arbitrary-code-execution-vulnerability-in-gtkwave-3-3-115","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ameeba.com\/blog\/cve-2023-36915-arbitrary-code-execution-vulnerability-in-gtkwave-3-3-115\/","title":{"rendered":"CVE-2023-36915: Arbitrary Code Execution Vulnerability in GTKWave 3.3.115<\/strong>"},"content":{"rendered":"

Overview<\/strong><\/p>\n

A significant vulnerability, CVE-2023-36915, has been identified in the popular waveform viewer GTKWave version 3.3.115. This application is extensively used in the electronics industry for viewing and debugging digital logic simulations, making it a prime target for cyber attackers. The vulnerability is of a high severity<\/a> level, underlining the importance of immediate attention and mitigation.
\nThe risk lies in multiple integer overflow vulnerabilities<\/a> that exist in the FST fstReaderIterBlocks2 chain_table allocation functionality of GTKWave. An attacker can exploit this vulnerability to execute arbitrary code, potentially leading to system<\/a> compromise or data leakage. The affected users need to be aware of this vulnerability<\/a> and take immediate steps to mitigate the potential risks.<\/p>\n

Vulnerability Summary<\/strong><\/p>\n

CVE ID: CVE-2023-36915
\nSeverity: High (CVSS: 7.8)
\nAttack Vector: Local
\nPrivileges Required: Low
\nUser Interaction: Required
\nImpact: Potential system<\/a> compromise or data leakage<\/p>\n

Affected Products<\/strong><\/p>\n

Product | Affected Versions<\/p>\n

GTKWave | 3.3.115<\/p>\n

How the Exploit Works<\/strong><\/p>\n

The vulnerability arises from multiple integer overflow<\/a> vulnerabilities in the GTKWave’s FST fstReaderIterBlocks2 chain_table allocation functionality. An attacker can craft a malicious .fst file that, when opened by an unsuspecting user, causes an integer overflow<\/a>. This overflow can lead to an oversized allocation for the `chain_table` array, potentially causing a buffer overflow<\/a>. The attacker can then exploit this overflow to execute arbitrary<\/a> code of their choice, thus compromising the system or leading to data leakage.<\/p>\n

Conceptual Example Code<\/strong><\/p>\n

In a conceptual scenario, an attacker might craft a malicious<\/a> .fst file with the following pseudocode:<\/p>\n

int main() {\nint size = INT_MAX;\nchain_table = malloc(size);\nif(chain_table == NULL) {\nprintf(\"Failed to allocate chain_table\\n\");\nexit(1);\n}\n\/\/ The attacker would then populate the `chain_table` array with malicious code.\n}<\/code><\/pre>\n
Upon opening this malicious .fst file, the `chain_table` array would overflow<\/a>. If the attacker has appropriately crafted the overflow, they could execute arbitrary code, leading to system compromise or data leakage<\/a>.
\nTo mitigate this vulnerability, users of GTKWave 3.3.115 should apply the vendor patch immediately. If a patch is not yet available, users can use a Web<\/a> Application Firewall (WAF) or Intrusion Detection System (IDS) as a temporary mitigation measure.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Overview A significant vulnerability, CVE-2023-36915, has been identified in the popular waveform viewer GTKWave version 3.3.115. This application is extensively used in the electronics industry for viewing and debugging digital logic simulations, making it a prime target for cyber attackers. The vulnerability is of a high severity level, underlining the importance of immediate attention and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"vendor":[],"product":[],"attack_vector":[86,80],"asset_type":[],"severity":[],"exploit_status":[],"class_list":["post-36225","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","attack_vector-buffer-overflow","attack_vector-rce"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t