{"id":37032,"date":"2025-05-11T00:07:50","date_gmt":"2025-05-11T00:07:50","guid":{"rendered":""},"modified":"2025-05-30T13:06:31","modified_gmt":"2025-05-30T19:06:31","slug":"cve-2023-38618-integer-overflow-vulnerabilities-in-gtkwave-s-vzt-facgeometry-parsing-functionality","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ameeba.com\/blog\/cve-2023-38618-integer-overflow-vulnerabilities-in-gtkwave-s-vzt-facgeometry-parsing-functionality\/","title":{"rendered":"CVE-2023-38618: Integer Overflow Vulnerabilities in GTKWave’s VZT Facgeometry Parsing Functionality<\/strong>"},"content":{"rendered":"

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

This blog post aims to thoroughly investigate CVE-2023-38618, a critical vulnerability that affects the VZT facgeometry parsing functionality of GTKWave 3.3.115. This vulnerability is particularly significant due to its potential to execute arbitrary code, which would enable a threat actor to compromise systems or leak data. Victims could inadvertently trigger this vulnerability by merely opening a malicious .vzt file<\/a>. Given the widespread use of GTKWave in analyzing digital logic simulations, this vulnerability poses a serious risk<\/a> to a large number of users.<\/p>\n

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

CVE ID: CVE-2023-38618
\nSeverity: High (7.8\/10)
\nAttack Vector: Local File<\/a>
\nPrivileges Required: None
\nUser Interaction: Required
\nImpact: System compromise and potential<\/a> 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 integer overflow vulnerabilities<\/a> found in the VZT facgeometry parsing functionality of GTKWave. An attacker can craft a malicious<\/a> .vzt file that, when opened by the victim, triggers the vulnerability. Specifically, the vulnerability is exploited during the allocation of the `rows` array, where an integer overflow<\/a> can occur. This can allow an attacker to execute arbitrary code<\/a>, potentially resulting in a system compromise or data leakage.<\/p>\n

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

Given the nature of this vulnerability, a conceptual example might look something like this:<\/p>\n

#include \n#include \nint main() {\nunsigned int rows = 0xFFFFFFFF;  \/\/ maliciously large number of rows\nunsigned int cols = 5;\n\/\/ allocate memory for rows array, triggering integer overflow\nint* array = (int*) malloc(rows * cols * sizeof(int));\n\/\/ rest of the .vzt file processing code...\n}<\/code><\/pre>\n
In this example, the maliciously large number of rows causes an integer overflow<\/a> during the memory allocation for the `rows` array. This could potentially lead to buffer overflow<\/a>, causing undefined behavior and potentially allowing an attacker to execute arbitrary code.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Overview This blog post aims to thoroughly investigate CVE-2023-38618, a critical vulnerability that affects the VZT facgeometry parsing functionality of GTKWave 3.3.115. This vulnerability is particularly significant due to its potential to execute arbitrary code, which would enable a threat actor to compromise systems or leak data. Victims could inadvertently trigger this vulnerability by merely […]<\/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],"asset_type":[],"severity":[],"exploit_status":[],"class_list":["post-37032","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","attack_vector-buffer-overflow"],"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