Out-of-bounds read in cJSON
Priority MEDIUM 58CWE-125Published · Updated
Key facts
- Attack vector
- Local
- Privileges required
- Low
- User interaction
- None
- Attack complexity
- Low
- Impact type
- Denial of service
- Confidentiality · integrity · availability
- None · None · High
- Fix status
- Partial Red Hat: 1 without a fix
Attack profile from CVSS 3.1 · NVD. Fix status from CNA and Red Hat. Impact type from CWE-125 and the CVSS impact.
Summary
parse_string in cJSON before 1.7.18 has a heap-based buffer over-read via {"1":1, with no trailing newline if cJSON_ParseWithLength is called.
Why it matters now
Exploitation Proof of concept CISA SSVC · not in CISA KEV
EPSS 0.00278 20th percentileScored 2026-11-07
Public exploit Yes 1 exploit referenceTagged by NVD
Fix Partial cJSON (cJSON project): 1.7.18Red Hat: 1 without a fix
SSVC decision points
CISA ADP · SSVC 2.0.3
- Exploitation
- Poc
- Automatable
- No
- Technical impact
- Partial
The decision (Track, Attend, Act) also depends on your mission and well-being impact; see CISA's SSVC guide.
Affected products
| Vendor | Product | Affected versions | Fixed in | Status | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| cJSON Project | cJSON | before 1.7.18 | 1.7.18 | Patch available | CNA |
- cJSON VendorcJSON Project Affected before 1.7.18 Fixed in 1.7.18 Patch available CNA
CPE configurations NVD · 1
| CPE | Versions | Role | Vendor |
|---|---|---|---|
| cpe:2.3:a:cjson_project:cjson:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | before 1.7.18 | Vulnerable | cJSON Project |
- cpe:2.3:a:cjson_project:cjson:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions before 1.7.18 Vulnerable ·cJSON Project
Remediation
- Fix · CNA cJSON (cJSON project) Fixed in 1.7.18
Vendor assessments
Red Hat
Red Hat rating: Low. Red Hat's page for this CVE →
| Product | Status | Plan or fix |
|---|---|---|
| Red Hat Satellite 6 | Affected | No fix yet: Fix deferred |
Timeline
- 2026-10-02 Threatist record created from CVE-2023-53154
- 2026-10-03 Alias added: GHSA-8h4w-44qv-79mq
References
More cJSON Project Cjson vulnerabilities
- TI-2024-20921 cJSON v1.7.17 was discovered to contain a segmentation violation, which can trigger… CVSS 3.1HIGH 7.6
- TI-2023-11788 cJSON 1.7.15 might allow a denial of service via a crafted JSON document such as {"a"… CVSS 3.1LOW 2.9
Sources
- CVE-2023-53154 · CVE Program
- CVE-2023-53154 · NVD
- FIRST EPSS
- GHSA-8h4w-44qv-79mq · GitHub Advisory Database · CC BY 4.0
- CVE-2023-53154 · 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