{"id":37119,"date":"2025-05-11T08:10:30","date_gmt":"2025-05-11T08:10:30","guid":{"rendered":""},"modified":"2025-05-22T17:01:00","modified_gmt":"2025-05-22T17:01:00","slug":"cve-2023-38649-out-of-bounds-write-vulnerability-in-gtkwave-3-3-115","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ameeba.com\/blog\/cve-2023-38649-out-of-bounds-write-vulnerability-in-gtkwave-3-3-115\/","title":{"rendered":"<strong>CVE-2023-38649: Out-of-bounds Write Vulnerability in GTKWave 3.3.115<\/strong>"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>Overview<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The CVE-2023-38649 vulnerability is a serious security issue that affects the VZT vzt_rd_get_facname decompression functionality of GTKWave 3.3.115. It represents a significant risk to all organizations that utilize this software as it can lead to a complete system compromise or potential data leakage.<br \/>\nThis vulnerability matters because it provides potential attackers with a pathway for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ameeba.com\/blog\/cve-2024-21325-microsoft-printer-metadata-troubleshooter-tool-remote-code-execution-vulnerability\/\"  data-wpil-monitor-id=\"47734\">executing arbitrary code<\/a> on the victim\u2019s system. The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ameeba.com\/blog\/cve-2025-47154-exploitation-of-use-after-free-vulnerability-in-libjs-in-ladybird\/\"  data-wpil-monitor-id=\"42359\">exploitation of this vulnerability<\/a> requires a user to open a malicious .vzt file. Once this happens, the attacker can gain <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ameeba.com\/blog\/cve-2025-1279-unauthorized-data-modification-and-privilege-escalation-in-bm-content-builder-for-wordpress\/\"  data-wpil-monitor-id=\"41837\">unauthorized access to sensitive data<\/a> and potentially infiltrate the entire system.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Vulnerability Summary<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>CVE ID: CVE-2023-38649<br \/>\nSeverity: High (CVSS: 7.8)<br \/>\nAttack Vector: VZT file<br \/>\nPrivileges Required: None<br \/>\nUser Interaction: Required (Victim needs to open a malicious .vzt file)<br \/>\nImpact: Arbitrary <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ameeba.com\/blog\/cve-2025-32444-remote-code-execution-vulnerability-in-vllm-integration-with-mooncake\/\"  data-wpil-monitor-id=\"41870\">code execution<\/a> leading to potential system compromise or data leakage<\/p>\n<p><strong>Affected Products<\/strong><\/p><div id=\"ameeb-3265136123\" 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 vulnerability is rooted in the VZT vzt_rd_get_facname decompression functionality of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ameeba.com\/blog\/cve-2023-35961-os-command-injection-vulnerabilities-in-gtkwave-3-3-115\/\"  data-wpil-monitor-id=\"41838\">GTKWave<\/a> 3.3.115. This flaw allows a malicious actor to craft a special .vzt file that, when opened by the victim, triggers multiple <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ameeba.com\/blog\/cve-2023-36861-out-of-bounds-write-vulnerability-in-gtkwave-3-3-115\/\"  data-wpil-monitor-id=\"42451\">out-of-bounds write vulnerabilities<\/a>. The string copy loop performs an out-of-bounds write, which can <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ameeba.com\/blog\/cve-2023-35995-gtkwave-array-index-validation-vulnerability-leading-to-arbitrary-code-execution\/\"  data-wpil-monitor-id=\"42009\">lead to arbitrary code<\/a> execution. This enables the attacker to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ameeba.com\/blog\/cve-2025-30165-potential-system-compromise-in-vllm-v0-engine\/\"  data-wpil-monitor-id=\"44056\">compromise the system<\/a> or leak sensitive data.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Conceptual Example Code<\/strong><\/p><div id=\"ameeb-2896309796\" 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>Here is a<br \/>\n<strong>conceptual<\/strong><br \/>\n example of how the vulnerability might be exploited. This is a simplified demonstration and should not be used for malicious purposes.<\/p>\n<pre><code class=\"\" data-line=\"\"># This is a conceptual demonstration and may not work in practice.\n# This is for educational purposes only.\ndef create_malicious_vzt_file():\nvzt_file = open(&quot;malicious.vzt&quot;, &quot;w&quot;)\nmalicious_payload = &#039;&lt;payload that exploits the out-of-bounds write vulnerability&gt;&#039;\nvzt_file.write(malicious_payload)\nvzt_file.close()\ncreate_malicious_vzt_file()<\/code><\/pre>\n<p>After creating the malicious .vzt file, an attacker would then need to deceive the victim into opening the file using GTKWave 3.3.115. Once the malicious file is opened, the out-of-bounds write vulnerability is triggered, potentially leading to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ameeba.com\/blog\/cve-2023-35996-arbitrary-code-execution-vulnerability-in-gtkwave-3-3-115\/\"  data-wpil-monitor-id=\"42043\">arbitrary code execution<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Mitigation Guidance<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Users are strongly advised to apply the vendor patch as soon as it becomes available. In the meantime, as a temporary mitigation measure, users can utilize a Web Application Firewall (WAF) or an Intrusion Detection System (IDS) to detect and block potential exploitation attempts.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Overview The CVE-2023-38649 vulnerability is a serious security issue that affects the VZT vzt_rd_get_facname decompression functionality of GTKWave 3.3.115. It represents a significant risk to all organizations that utilize this software as it can lead to a complete system compromise or potential data leakage. This vulnerability matters because it provides potential attackers with a pathway [&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":[86,80],"asset_type":[],"severity":[],"exploit_status":[],"class_list":["post-37119","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","attack_vector-buffer-overflow","attack_vector-rce"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ameeba.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37119","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=37119"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/www.ameeba.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37119\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":42548,"href":"https:\/\/www.ameeba.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37119\/revisions\/42548"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ameeba.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=37119"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ameeba.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=37119"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ameeba.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=37119"},{"taxonomy":"vendor","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ameeba.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/vendor?post=37119"},{"taxonomy":"product","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ameeba.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/product?post=37119"},{"taxonomy":"attack_vector","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ameeba.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/attack_vector?post=37119"},{"taxonomy":"asset_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ameeba.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/asset_type?post=37119"},{"taxonomy":"severity","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ameeba.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/severity?post=37119"},{"taxonomy":"exploit_status","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ameeba.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/exploit_status?post=37119"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}