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Endpoint Detection And ResponseApplication · Malwarebytes

CVE-2023-29147

MEDIUM · 5.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2023-06-30
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to after 1.0.14 or later.
See remediation →
57/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
Zero-click

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 · unedited
In Malwarebytes EDR 1.0.11 for Linux, it is possible to bypass the detection layers that depend on inode identifiers, because an identifier may be reused when a file is replaced, and because two files on different filesystems can have the same identifier.

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 confidence

Malwarebytes EDR 1.0.11 for Linux relies on inode identifiers to track and detect malicious files. This mechanism can be bypassed because: 1) when a file is replaced, the inode identifier may be reused by the filesystem, allowing the new malicious file to inherit the trusted inode, and 2) inode numbers are not unique across different filesystems, so files on separate filesystems can share the same inode number but have different content.

MitigationAwait a vendor patch from Malwarebytes addressing the inode-based detection bypass. In the interim, supplement EDR monitoring with additional file integrity controls using cryptographic hashes and path-based detection rules.

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
Endpoint Detection And ResponseApplication
Affected:<= 1.0.11
MalwarebytesApplication
Affected:<= 1.0.14

CVSS 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
Low
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
None
Integrity
High
Availability
None

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N

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 checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Identify installed Malwarebytes products on Linux
    Run 'dpkg -l | grep -i malwarebytes' or 'rpm -qa | grep -i malwarebytes' to list installed Malwarebytes packages. Also check for running processes with 'ps aux | grep -i malwarebytes' and services with 'systemctl list-units | grep -i malwarebytes'.
    Affected if No Malwarebytes packages or processes are found, meaning the product is not installed and the system is not affected.
  2. Determine the exact version of Malwarebytes Endpoint Detection And Response
    If the EDR product is installed, check the version using 'mbam --version' or by examining the installed package details via 'dpkg -l malwarebytes-endpoint-detection-and-response' or 'rpm -qi malwarebytes-endpoint-detection-and-response'. Compare the version number to the affected range <= 1.0.11.
    Affected if The installed version is 1.0.11 or lower.
  3. Determine the exact version of the Malwarebytes core product
    If the core Malwarebytes product is installed, check the version using 'mbam --version' or by examining the package via 'dpkg -l malwarebytes' or 'rpm -qi malwarebytes'. Compare the version number to the affected range <= 1.0.14.
    Affected if The installed version is 1.0.14 or lower.
  4. Verify if inode-based detection is in use
    Review the EDR detection configuration by examining configuration files in /etc/malwarebytes/ or /opt/malwarebytes/ directories, or check the product documentation for detection rule types. Look for rules or settings that rely on inode numbers rather than cryptographic hashes or full file paths.
    Affected if The EDR configuration uses inode identifiers for file tracking and detection rules.

You are affected if you have Malwarebytes Endpoint Detection And Response version 1.0.11 or lower, or Malwarebytes version 1.0.14 or lower, and the product is configured to use inode-based detection for file integrity monitoring.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

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 · scoped
Upgrade available Upgrade to a release after 1.0.14
Interim mitigation

Await a vendor patch from Malwarebytes addressing the inode-based detection bypass. In the interim, supplement EDR monitoring with additional file integrity controls using cryptographic hashes and path-based detection rules.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Malwarebytes EDR for Linux version 1.0.12 or later (latest stable release)

  1. 1. Verify the current installed version of Malwarebytes EDR by running: mbam --version or rpm -qi malwarebytes-edr
  2. 2. Stop the Malwarebytes EDR service using: systemctl stop malwarebytes-edr or service malwarebytes-edr stop
  3. 3. Update to the latest version of Malwarebytes EDR for Linux using your package manager (apt, yum, or dnf depending on your distribution)
  4. 4. If using apt: apt update && apt install malwarebytes-edr
  5. 5. If using yum/dnf: yum update malwarebytes-edr or dnf update malwarebytes-edr
  6. 6. Verify the new version is installed: mbam --version
  7. 7. Start the Malwarebytes EDR service: systemctl start malwarebytes-edr or service malwarebytes-edr start
  8. 8. Verify the service is running: systemctl status malwarebytes-edr
Caveat Review release notes for any configuration or compatibility changes between versions

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Endpoint Detection And Response Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation16.0 h
  • Testing8.0 h
  • Review / QA4.0 h
32.0 hours of engineering $5,600
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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2023-29147 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

What belongs here
  • Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
  • No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data