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TdengineApplication

CVE-2023-38502

MEDIUM · 6.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2023-07-25
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 3.0.7.1 or later.
See remediation →
71/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
Remotely reachable 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
TDengine is an open source, time-series database optimized for Internet of Things devices. Prior to version 3.0.7.1, TDengine DataBase crashes on UDF nested query. This issue affects TDengine Databases which let users connect and run arbitrary queries. Version 3.0.7.1 has a patch for this issue.

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 · moderate confidence

In TDengine versions prior to 3.0.7.1, a vulnerability in the User-Defined Function (UDF) nested query processing causes a database crash. The issue is triggered when malformed or specially crafted nested UDF queries are executed, potentially allowing an attacker with query execution privileges to cause denial of service.

MitigationUpgrade TDengine to version 3.0.7.1 or later. Until patching is possible, restrict query permissions to trusted users only.

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
TdengineApplication
Affected:< 3.0.7.1

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
Network
Complexity
Low
Privileges
Low
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
None
Integrity
None
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/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 checks

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

  1. Check TDengine server version
    Run 'taos --version' or 'taos -v' from the command line, or execute 'SELECT SERVER_VERSION()' via the taos shell to retrieve the installed version number
    Affected if The version is lower than 3.0.7.1 (for example, 3.0.0.0 through 3.0.7.0)
  2. Identify if UDF is enabled in configuration
    Inspect the TDengine configuration file (typically taos.cfg or tdengine.conf) for 'udf' related settings such as 'udfDir' or 'enableUdf'. The default configuration directory is /etc/taos/ or /etc/tdengine/
    Affected if UDF functionality is enabled (udfDir is defined or enableUdf is set to 1)
  3. Check for existing User-Defined Functions
    Connect to TDengine and query the system catalog: run 'SHOW FUNCTIONS' or query 'information_schema.FUNCTIONS' to list any UDFs that have been created
    Affected if Any UDFs exist in the system (the vulnerability triggers when nested UDF queries are executed)
  4. Verify query execution privileges
    Check which users have query or SELECT privileges by running 'SHOW GRANTS' for specific users or querying the usage/privilege tables in information_schema
    Affected if Untrusted users or users with only basic query privileges can execute arbitrary queries against the database

You are affected if your TDengine version is prior to 3.0.7.1 AND UDF functionality is enabled with existing UDFs that could be exploited through malformed nested queries.

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 3.0.7.1 or later
Fixed in 3.0.7.1
Interim mitigation

Upgrade TDengine to version 3.0.7.1 or later. Until patching is possible, restrict query permissions to trusted users only.

Recommended fix High confidence

3.0.7.1

  1. 1. Back up all TDengine databases and configurations before upgrading
  2. 2. Stop the TDengine service (systemctl stop taosd or equivalent)
  3. 3. Upgrade TDengine to version 3.0.7.1 using the appropriate package manager or installation method for your system
  4. 4. Start the TDengine service (systemctl start taosd or equivalent)
  5. 5. Verify the service is running and the crash issue is resolved by testing UDF nested queries

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

Fix this in Tdengine Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
14.0 hours of engineering $2,380
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $3,808.

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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-2023-38502 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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What this is

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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
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