CVE-2023-25564
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 · uneditedGSS-NTLMSSP is a mechglue plugin for the GSSAPI library that implements NTLM authentication. Prior to version 1.2.0, memory corruption can be triggered when decoding UTF16 strings. The variable `outlen` was not initialized and could cause writing a zero to an arbitrary place in memory if `ntlm_str_convert()` were to fail, which would leave `outlen` uninitialized. This can lead to a denial of service if the write hits unmapped memory or randomly corrupts a byte in the application memory space. This vulnerability can trigger an out-of-bounds write, leading to memory corruption. This vulnerability can be triggered via the main `gss_accept_sec_context` entry point. This issue is fixed in version 1.2.0.
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 analysisThe program writes past the bounds of a buffer, overwriting adjacent memory an attacker can turn to their advantage. Crafted input can overwrite control data and redirect execution. Remediation is validating every index and length before a write, plus modern memory-safety mitigations.
General guidance for the out-of-bounds write class — the official description and references above are authoritative for this specific CVE. Want a bespoke review and a reviewed fix? Ask our team →
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< 1.2.0CVSS 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
- Network
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- None
- Integrity
- Low
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:H
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 · scoped1.2.0
gss-ntlmssp version 1.2.0
- Identify the current version of gss-ntlmssp installed on the system (e.g., via package manager or checking compiled version)
- Upgrade gss-ntlmssp to version 1.2.0 or later using the appropriate package manager or compilation method
- If building from source, ensure the source is fetched from the official repository and the version tag v1.2.0 or later is checked out
- After upgrade, verify the fix is applied by checking that the uninitialized `outlen` variable issue in the ntlm_str_convert function has been resolved
- Test that gss_accept_sec_context functions correctly with the updated library
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2023-25564 — 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-2023-25564 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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- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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