{"id":37012,"date":"2025-05-10T21:06:45","date_gmt":"2025-05-10T21:06:45","guid":{"rendered":""},"modified":"2025-05-22T11:03:54","modified_gmt":"2025-05-22T11:03:54","slug":"cve-2023-37922-arbitrary-write-vulnerabilities-in-gtkwave-s-vcd-sorted-bsearch-functionality","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ameeba.com\/blog\/cve-2023-37922-arbitrary-write-vulnerabilities-in-gtkwave-s-vcd-sorted-bsearch-functionality\/","title":{"rendered":"CVE-2023-37922: Arbitrary Write Vulnerabilities in GTKWave’s VCD Sorted bsearch Functionality<\/strong>"},"content":{"rendered":"

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

A high severity vulnerability (CVE-2023-37922) has been discovered in the VCD sorted bsearch functionality of GTKWave 3.3.115. This vulnerability could potentially allow an attacker to execute arbitrary code on the victim’s system. With a CVSS severity score of 7.8, it’s clear that this issue could lead to serious consequences, such as system compromise<\/a> or data leakage. It is especially worrisome as it solely requires the victim to open a specially crafted malicious .vcd file to trigger the vulnerabilities<\/a>. The broad user base of GTKWave, which is commonly used for examining and debugging digital waveforms, makes this vulnerability a significant cybersecurity<\/a> concern.<\/p>\n

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

CVE ID: CVE-2023-37922
\nSeverity: High (CVSS: 7.8)
\nAttack Vector: Local
\nPrivileges Required: None
\nUser Interaction: Required
\nImpact: Arbitrary Code Execution<\/a>, Potential system 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 exploit takes advantage of multiple arbitrary write vulnerabilities in the VCD sorted bsearch functionality of GTKWave<\/a>. An attacker crafts a malicious .vcd file designed to trigger these vulnerabilities<\/a>. When the victim opens this file, the vcd2lxt2 conversion utility is invoked, which in turn triggers the arbitrary write<\/a>. This allows the attacker to execute arbitrary code<\/a> on the victim’s system, potentially compromising the system or leading to data leakage.<\/p>\n

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

While this example is conceptual and may not represent an actual exploit, it provides an idea of how an attacker might craft a malicious .vcd file to exploit the vulnerability<\/a>:<\/p>\n

# Create a malicious .vcd file\necho \"binary_dumpfile_width 1\" > malicious.vcd\necho \"$var wire 1 ! signal\" >> malicious.vcd\necho \"$upscope\" >> malicious.vcd\necho \"$enddefinitions\" >> malicious.vcd\n# Crafted payload to trigger arbitrary write\necho \"#1\" >> malicious.vcd\necho \"b1 !\" >> malicious.vcd<\/code><\/pre>\n
An unsuspecting user running this malicious .vcd file with vcd2lxt2 would trigger the arbitrary write vulnerabilities, leading to arbitrary code<\/a> execution.<\/p>\n
Mitigation<\/strong><\/p>\n
In light of this vulnerability, users of GTKWave version 3.3.115 are strongly advised to apply the vendor patch as soon as it becomes available. In the meantime, using a Web Application Firewall (WAF) or Intrusion Detection System (IDS) can serve as a temporary mitigation measure. These systems can help detect and block attempts to exploit this vulnerability<\/a>, reducing the risk of a successful attack.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Overview A high severity vulnerability (CVE-2023-37922) has been discovered in the VCD sorted bsearch functionality of GTKWave 3.3.115. This vulnerability could potentially allow an attacker to execute arbitrary code on the victim’s system. With a CVSS severity score of 7.8, it’s clear that this issue could lead to serious consequences, such as system compromise or […]<\/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":[80],"asset_type":[],"severity":[],"exploit_status":[],"class_list":["post-37012","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","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