CVE-2023-0973
Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.
NVD · uneditedSTEPTools v18SP1 ifcmesh library (v18.1) is affected due to a null pointer dereference, which could allow an attacker to deny application usage when reading a specially constructed file, resulting in an application crash.
Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.
dbcve analysis · high confidenceThe ifcmesh library in STEPTools v18SP1 (v18.1) contains a null pointer dereference vulnerability triggered when parsing specially constructed files, causing an application crash and denial of service.
Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.
Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.
NVD · CPE data< 18.102CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.
From the vector- Attack vector
- Local
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges
- None
- User interaction
- Required
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- None
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.
dbcve checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Confirm ifcmesh library is in useIdentify whether STEPTools ifcmesh library is installed or used within your environment. Look for libraries named ifcmesh, ifc, or STEP-related parsing components in your application dependencies or installation directory.Affected if The ifcmesh library from STEPTools is present in the environment
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Locate the ifcmesh library versionFind the installed ifcmesh library file and inspect its version metadata. Common methods include checking file properties, using a package manager query, or examining the library binary's version information if exposed.Affected if Unable to determine version information
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Compare installed version to affected rangeCompare the discovered version number against the affected range. Versions prior to 18.102 are vulnerable.Affected if Installed version is less than 18.102
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Determine if file parsing is performedIdentify whether the ifcmesh library is actively used to parse IFC or STEP files. Review application logs or code to see if file parsing with this library occurs during normal operation.Affected if The library parses IFC/STEP files and the version is below 18.102
You are affected if the ifcmesh library from STEPTools is present and its version is below 18.102, and the library is used to parse IFC/STEP files.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.
dbcve · scoped18.102
Implement proper null pointer validation before dereferencing in the file parsing code, or obtain and apply any available vendor patches to the ifcmesh library.
Ifcmesh Library version 18.102 or later
- 1. Identify the current version of the Ifcmesh Library in use by checking project dependencies or library manifests
- 2. Obtain the updated Ifcmesh Library version 18.102 or later from the vendor (STEPTools)
- 3. Replace the vulnerable library binary/source code with the fixed version
- 4. Rebuild and recompile any applications that link against the Ifcmesh Library
- 5. Test the application with the new library to verify the null pointer dereference is resolved
- 6. Re-deploy the updated application
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing4.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $4,480.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2023-0973 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2023-0973 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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- Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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