CVE-2023-38408
- State
- Published
- Severity
- 9.8 Critical
- Published
- Jul 20, 2023
- Updated
- Oct 14, 2026
- Reserved
- Jul 17, 2023
Description
The PKCS#11 feature in ssh-agent in OpenSSH before 9.3p2 has an insufficiently trustworthy search path, leading to remote code execution if an agent is forwarded to an attacker-controlled system. (Code in /usr/lib is not necessarily safe for loading into ssh-agent.) NOTE: this issue exists because of an incomplete fix for CVE-2016-10009.
Scores
| CVSS | Score | Vector | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3.1 | 9.8 Critical | CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H | CISA-ADP |
Weaknesses
- CWE-428 Unquoted Search Path or Element
Affected Products
| Product | Versions |
|---|---|
n/an/a |
|
References
- https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36790196
- https://blog.qualys.com/vulnerabilities-threat-research/2023/07/19/cve-2023-38408-remote-code-execution-in-opensshs-forwarded-ssh-agent
- https://www.qualys.com/2023/07/19/cve-2023-38408/rce-openssh-forwarded-ssh-agent.txt
- https://github.com/openbsd/src/commit/f8f5a6b003981bb824329dc987d101977beda7ca
- https://github.com/openbsd/src/commit/7bc29a9d5cd697290aa056e94ecee6253d3425f8
- https://github.com/openbsd/src/commit/f03a4faa55c4ce0818324701dadbf91988d7351d
- https://www.openssh.com/txt/release-9.3p2
- https://www.openssh.com/security.html
- GLSA-202307-01vendor-advisory
- [oss-security] 20230719 Re: CVE-2023-38408: Remote Code Execution in OpenSSH's forwarded ssh-agentmailing-list
- [oss-security] 20230720 Re: Announce: OpenSSH 9.3p2 releasedmailing-list
- http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/173661/OpenSSH-Forwarded-SSH-Agent-Remote-Code-Execution.html
- FEDORA-2023-878e04f4aevendor-advisory
- FEDORA-2023-79a18e1725vendor-advisory
- https://security.netapp.com/advisory/ntap-20230803-0010/
- [debian-lts-announce] 20230817 [SECURITY] [DLA 3532-1] openssh security updatemailing-list
- [oss-security] 20230922 Re: illumos (or at least danmcd) membership in the distros listmailing-list
- [oss-security] 20230922 Re: illumos (or at least danmcd) membership in the distros listmailing-list
- https://support.apple.com/kb/HT213940
- https://www.vicarius.io/vsociety/posts/exploring-opensshs-agent-forwarding-rce-cve-2023-38408
- https://cert-portal.siemens.com/productcert/html/ssa-398330.html
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