{"id":36229,"date":"2025-05-08T10:43:25","date_gmt":"2025-05-08T10:43:25","guid":{"rendered":""},"modified":"2025-07-08T23:21:44","modified_gmt":"2025-07-09T05:21:44","slug":"cve-2023-37417-critical-out-of-bounds-write-vulnerabilities-in-gtkwave-3-3-115","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ameeba.com\/blog\/cve-2023-37417-critical-out-of-bounds-write-vulnerabilities-in-gtkwave-3-3-115\/","title":{"rendered":"CVE-2023-37417: Critical Out-of-Bounds Write Vulnerabilities in GTKWave 3.3.115<\/strong>"},"content":{"rendered":"

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

In the world of cybersecurity, there are unfortunately constant threats that users must guard against. CVE-2023-37417 is one such vulnerability that presents a potent risk to users of the GTKWave 3.3.115. This vulnerability exposes users to potential system<\/a> compromise, data leakage, and arbitrary code execution risks, making it a critical issue that needs immediate attention.
\nGTKWave is a popular open-source waveform viewer, largely utilized in the digital design field. The vulnerability in question affects the VCD parse_valuechange portdump functionality, allowing malicious individuals the ability to execute arbitrary code, potentially compromising the entire system and leading<\/a> to data leaks. The severity of this issue<\/a> cannot be overstated, given its potential for widespread damage.<\/p>\n

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

CVE ID: CVE-2023-37417
\nSeverity: High – CVSS Score 7.8
\nAttack Vector: Remote
\nPrivileges Required: None
\nUser Interaction: Required
\nImpact: Arbitrary code execution<\/a>, potential system compromise and 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

This vulnerability takes advantage of an out-of-bound write condition in the VCD parse_valuechange portdump functionality of GTKWave<\/a> 3.3.115. An attacker would need to craft a malicious .vcd file, designed to trigger the vulnerability<\/a>. Once the malicious file is opened by the victim through the GUI’s interactive VCD parsing code, the attacker gains the ability to execute arbitrary code<\/a> on the system, potentially leading to a full system compromise.<\/p>\n

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

The following is a conceptual example of a malicious .vcd file content, designed to exploit the vulnerability<\/a>:<\/p>\n

$timescale 1 ns $end\n$scope module logic $end\n$var wire 1 ! clk $end\n$var wire 64 # data $end\n$var wire 1 $ en $end\n$upscope $end\n$enddefinitions $end\n#0\n0!\nbxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx #\n1$<\/code><\/pre>\n
In the above example, the “bxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx #” string represents an oversize binary value, specifically crafted to trigger the out-of-bound write condition, leading to arbitrary code execution<\/a>.<\/p>\n
Mitigation Guidance<\/strong><\/p>\n
Users are advised to apply the patch provided by the vendor as soon as possible. In the absence of a patch, or as a temporary mitigation measure, deploying a Web Application Firewall (WAF) or Intrusion Detection System (IDS) can help to detect and prevent exploitation of this vulnerability<\/a>. It is also strongly recommended that users avoid opening .vcd files<\/a> from untrusted sources.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Overview In the world of cybersecurity, there are unfortunately constant threats that users must guard against. CVE-2023-37417 is one such vulnerability that presents a potent risk to users of the GTKWave 3.3.115. This vulnerability exposes users to potential system compromise, data leakage, and arbitrary code execution risks, making it a critical issue that needs immediate […]<\/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-36229","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