{"id":37036,"date":"2025-05-11T02:08:37","date_gmt":"2025-05-11T02:08:37","guid":{"rendered":""},"modified":"2025-09-06T12:12:35","modified_gmt":"2025-09-06T18:12:35","slug":"cve-2023-38620-integer-overflow-vulnerabilities-in-gtkwave-3-3-115-leading-to-arbitrary-code-execution","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ameeba.com\/blog\/cve-2023-38620-integer-overflow-vulnerabilities-in-gtkwave-3-3-115-leading-to-arbitrary-code-execution\/","title":{"rendered":"<strong>CVE-2023-38620: Integer Overflow Vulnerabilities in GTKWave 3.3.115 Leading to Arbitrary Code Execution<\/strong>"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>Overview<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVE) system has recently identified a critical security flaw, designated CVE-2023-38620, within the VZT facgeometry parsing functionality of GTKWave, version 3.3.115, a popular open-source waveform viewer. The issue present is a series of multiple integer overflow vulnerabilities, which may lead to arbitrary code execution upon opening a maliciously crafted .vzt file. This vulnerability is particularly concerning as it could potentially <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ameeba.com\/blog\/cve-2025-44192-high-severity-sql-injection-vulnerability-in-simple-barangay-management-system-v1-0\/\"  data-wpil-monitor-id=\"42130\">lead<\/a> to system compromise or data leakage, posing a significant threat to any organization utilizing the affected software.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Vulnerability Summary<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>CVE ID: CVE-2023-38620<br \/>\nSeverity: High (CVSS: 7.8)<br \/>\nAttack Vector: Network<br \/>\nPrivileges Required: None<br \/>\nUser Interaction: Required<br \/>\nImpact: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ameeba.com\/blog\/cve-2025-32974-critical-vulnerability-in-xwiki-s-rights-analysis-leading-to-potential-system-compromise\/\"  data-wpil-monitor-id=\"42247\">Potential system<\/a> compromise or data leakage<\/p>\n<p><strong>Affected Products<\/strong><\/p><div id=\"ameeb-1354213339\" class=\"ameeb-content-2 ameeb-entity-placement\"><div style=\"border-left: 4px solid #555; padding-left: 20px; margin: 48px 0; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; color: #ffffff; line-height: 1.6; max-width: 700px;\">\r\n  <h2 style=\"margin-top: 0; font-size: 20px; font-weight: 600; display: flex; align-items: center;\">\r\n    <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ameeba.com\/chat\" style=\"display: inline-flex; align-items: center; margin-right: 8px;\">\r\n      <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ameeba.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Best-App-icon-Ameeba.png\" alt=\"Ameeba Chat Icon\" style=\"width: 40px; height: 40px;\" \/>\r\n    <\/a>\r\n    A new way to communicate\r\n  <\/h2>\r\n\r\n  <p style=\"margin-bottom: 12px;\">\r\n    Ameeba Chat is built on encrypted identity, not personal profiles.\r\n  <\/p>\r\n\r\n  <p style=\"margin-bottom: 16px;\">\r\n    Message, call, share files, and coordinate with identities kept separate.\r\n  <\/p>\r\n\r\n  <ul style=\"list-style: none; padding-left: 0; margin-bottom: 20px;\">\r\n    <li>\u2022 Encrypted identity<\/li>\r\n    <li>\u2022 Ameeba Chat authenticates access<\/li>\r\n    <li>\u2022 Aliases and categories<\/li>\r\n    <li>\u2022 End-to-end encrypted chat, calls, and files<\/li>\r\n    <li>\u2022 Secure notes for sensitive information<\/li>\r\n  <\/ul>\r\n\r\n  <p style=\"font-style: italic; font-weight: 600; margin-bottom: 24px;\">\r\n    Private communication, rethought.\r\n  <\/p>\r\n\r\n  <div style=\"display: flex; flex-wrap: wrap; gap: 12px;\">\r\n    <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ameeba.com\/chat\/download\" style=\"background-color: #ffffff; color: #000000; padding: 10px 20px; text-decoration: none; border-radius: 6px; font-weight: 500;\">Download Ameeba Chat<\/a>\r\n    <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ameeba.com\/chat\" style=\"border: 1px solid #ffffff; color: #ffffff; padding: 10px 20px; text-decoration: none; border-radius: 6px; font-weight: 500;\">Learn More<\/a>\r\n  <\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\n<p>Product | Affected Versions<\/p>\n<p>GTKWave | 3.3.115<\/p>\n<p><strong>How the Exploit Works<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ameeba.com\/blog\/cve-2023-35957-heap-based-buffer-overflow-vulnerabilities-in-gtkwave\/\"  data-wpil-monitor-id=\"41803\">vulnerabilities exist due to an integer overflow<\/a> when allocating the &#8216;lsb&#8217; array in the VZT facgeometry parsing functionality of GTKWave. This can occur when a user opens a specifically crafted .vzt file, which can then <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ameeba.com\/blog\/cve-2023-35995-gtkwave-array-index-validation-vulnerability-leading-to-arbitrary-code-execution\/\"  data-wpil-monitor-id=\"41999\">lead to arbitrary code<\/a> execution. An attacker who successfully exploits this <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ameeba.com\/blog\/cve-2025-32444-remote-code-execution-vulnerability-in-vllm-integration-with-mooncake\/\"  data-wpil-monitor-id=\"41860\">vulnerability could execute arbitrary code<\/a> in the context of the current user. If the current <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ameeba.com\/blog\/cve-2025-46827-graylog-open-log-management-platform-user-session-cookie-exposure\/\"  data-wpil-monitor-id=\"49207\">user is logged<\/a> on with administrative user rights, an attacker could take control of the affected system.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Conceptual Example Code<\/strong><\/p><div id=\"ameeb-209300940\" class=\"ameeb-content ameeb-entity-placement\"><div class=\"poptin-embedded\" data-id=\"f6b387694f681\"><\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<\/div>\n<p>While an exact example of this exploit cannot be provided due to responsible disclosure practices, the conceptual exploit would involve creating a malicious .vzt file that would cause an integer <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ameeba.com\/blog\/cve-2023-35969-critical-heap-based-buffer-overflow-vulnerability-in-gtkwave-3-3-115\/\"  data-wpil-monitor-id=\"41913\">overflow when opened with GTKWave<\/a>. The file would be designed to trigger the overflow in the &#8216;lsb&#8217; array allocation, which would then allow for the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ameeba.com\/blog\/cve-2023-35996-arbitrary-code-execution-vulnerability-in-gtkwave-3-3-115\/\"  data-wpil-monitor-id=\"42039\">execution of arbitrary code<\/a>.<\/p>\n<pre><code class=\"\" data-line=\"\">\/\/ Pseudocode\nmalicious_file.vzt = {\n\/\/ crafted data to cause integer overflow\n}<\/code><\/pre>\n<p>Then, this file would be delivered to the victim, who would open it with GTKWave, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ameeba.com\/blog\/cve-2025-52478-stored-cross-site-scripting-vulnerability-in-n8n-s-form-trigger-node\/\"  data-wpil-monitor-id=\"79445\">triggering the vulnerability<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Mitigation Guidance<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>To protect your <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ameeba.com\/blog\/cve-2025-45018-sql-injection-vulnerability-in-phpgurukul-park-ticketing-management-system-v2-0\/\"  data-wpil-monitor-id=\"42154\">systems from this vulnerability<\/a>, it is recommended to apply the vendor patch as soon as it becomes available. If the patch is not yet available or cannot be applied immediately, using a Web Application Firewall (WAF) or an Intrusion Detection System (IDS) can provide temporary mitigation. Additionally, users should be cautious when opening .vzt files from unknown sources and ensure their systems are updated with the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ameeba.com\/blog\/ai-cybersecurity-firm-cloudsek-secures-usd-19-mn-in-latest-funding-round\/\"  data-wpil-monitor-id=\"49206\">latest security<\/a> patches and updates.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Overview The Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVE) system has recently identified a critical security flaw, designated CVE-2023-38620, within the VZT facgeometry parsing functionality of GTKWave, version 3.3.115, a popular open-source waveform viewer. The issue present is a series of multiple integer overflow vulnerabilities, which may lead to arbitrary code execution upon opening a maliciously crafted [&hellip;]<\/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,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"vendor":[],"product":[],"attack_vector":[80],"asset_type":[],"severity":[],"exploit_status":[],"class_list":["post-37036","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","attack_vector-rce"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ameeba.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37036","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ameeba.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ameeba.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ameeba.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ameeba.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=37036"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/www.ameeba.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37036\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":71878,"href":"https:\/\/www.ameeba.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37036\/revisions\/71878"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ameeba.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=37036"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ameeba.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=37036"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ameeba.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=37036"},{"taxonomy":"vendor","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ameeba.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/vendor?post=37036"},{"taxonomy":"product","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ameeba.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/product?post=37036"},{"taxonomy":"attack_vector","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ameeba.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/attack_vector?post=37036"},{"taxonomy":"asset_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ameeba.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/asset_type?post=37036"},{"taxonomy":"severity","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ameeba.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/severity?post=37036"},{"taxonomy":"exploit_status","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ameeba.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/exploit_status?post=37036"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}