W3m: out-of-bounds write in function checktype() in etc.c (incomplete fix for cve-2022-38223)
Priority LOW 25CWE-787Published · Updated
Key facts
- Attack vector
- Local
- Privileges required
- None
- User interaction
- Required
- Attack complexity
- Low
- Impact type
- Denial of service
- Confidentiality · integrity · availability
- None · None · High
- Fix status
- No fix listed
Attack profile from CVSS 3.1 · CNA. Fix status from CNA. Impact type from CWE-787 and the CVSS impact.
Summary
An out-of-bounds write issue has been discovered in the backspace handling of the checkType() function in etc.c within the W3M application. This vulnerability is triggered by supplying a specially crafted HTML file to the w3m binary. Exploitation of this flaw could lead to application crashes, resulting in a denial of service condition.
Why it matters now
EPSS 0.00322 25th percentileScored 2026-11-07
Public exploit Yes 1 exploit referenceTagged by NVD
Fix No fix listed No fixed version in the sources yet
SSVC decision points
Not available: CISA has not published SSVC decision points for this record.
Affected products
| Vendor | Product | Affected versions | Fixed in | Status | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| — | w3m | — | — | No fix listed | CNA |
| Fedora | Fedora | — | — | No fix listed | CNA |
| Fedora | Extra Packages for Enterprise Linux | — | — | No fix listed | CNA |
- w3m Vendor— Affected — Fixed in — No fix listed CNA
- Fedora VendorFedora Affected — Fixed in — No fix listed CNA
- Extra Packages for Enterprise Linux VendorFedora Affected — Fixed in — No fix listed CNA
CPE configurations NVD · 5
| CPE | Versions | Role | Vendor |
|---|---|---|---|
| cpe:2.3:a:tats:w3m:0.5.3\+git20230121-1:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | 0.5.3+git20230121-1 | Vulnerable | Tats |
| cpe:2.3:a:tats:w3m:0.5.3\+git20230121-2:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | 0.5.3+git20230121-2 | Vulnerable | Tats |
| cpe:2.3:a:tats:w3m:0.5.3\+git20230129:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | 0.5.3+git20230129 | Vulnerable | Tats |
| cpe:2.3:a:fedoraproject:extra_packages_for_enterprise_linux:8.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | 8.0 | Vulnerable | Fedoraproject |
| cpe:2.3:o:fedoraproject:fedora:39:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | 39 | Vulnerable | Fedoraproject |
- cpe:2.3:a:tats:w3m:0.5.3\+git20230121-1:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 0.5.3+git20230121-1 Vulnerable ·Tats
- cpe:2.3:a:tats:w3m:0.5.3\+git20230121-2:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 0.5.3+git20230121-2 Vulnerable ·Tats
- cpe:2.3:a:tats:w3m:0.5.3\+git20230129:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 0.5.3+git20230129 Vulnerable ·Tats
- cpe:2.3:a:fedoraproject:extra_packages_for_enterprise_linux:8.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 8.0 Vulnerable ·Fedoraproject
- cpe:2.3:o:fedoraproject:fedora:39:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 39 Vulnerable ·Fedoraproject
Remediation
No fixed version listed by the sources yet.
Vendor assessments
Timeline
- 2026-10-02 Threatist record created from CVE-2023-4255
- 2026-10-03 Alias added: GHSA-hx3r-ph4g-9px9
References
Patch 2
Advisory 1
Other 3
- https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/[email protected]/message/AULOBQJLXE2KCT5UVQMKGEFL4GFIAOED/
- https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/[email protected]/message/TODROGVCWZ435HQIZE6ARQC5LPQLIA5C/
- https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/[email protected]/message/MKFZQUK7FPWWJQYICDZZ4YWIPUPQ2D3R/
More Fedora vulnerabilities
- TI-2018-01029 Command injection in Red Hat dhcp CVSS 3.0HIGH 7.5
- TI-2024-01796 Improper input validation in Fedora dnf5daemon-server CVSS 3.1HIGH 8.4
- TI-2023-05737 Glibc: heap-based buffer overflow in __vsyslog_internal() CVSS 3.1HIGH 8.4
- TI-2023-03845 Heap out of bound read in builtin.c CVSS 3.1HIGH 7.1
- TI-2023-04922 Draw while calling getdrawinfo() CVSS 3.1MEDIUM 5.3
- TI-2023-03123 Crash due to a null pointer dereference in the dn_nsp_send function CVSS 3.1MEDIUM 6.5
Sources
- CVE-2023-4255 · CVE Program
- CVE-2023-4255 · NVD
- FIRST EPSS
- GHSA-hx3r-ph4g-9px9 · GitHub Advisory Database · CC BY 4.0
- CVE-2023-4255 · Red Hat security data · CC BY 4.0
This product uses the NVD API but is not endorsed or certified by the NVD. Sources and licences