CVE-2023-39130
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 · uneditedGNU gdb (GDB) 13.0.50.20220805-git was discovered to contain a heap buffer overflow via the function pe_as16() at /gdb/coff-pe-read.c.
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 confidenceHeap buffer overflow vulnerability in GNU GDB's PE/COFF file parsing code. The pe_as16() function in coff-pe-read.c reads a 16-bit value from PE files without proper bounds checking, allowing a malicious PE file to trigger overflow when processed by GDB.
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= 13.0.50.20220805-gitCVSS 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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Check if GDB is installedRun 'gdb --version' or 'which gdb' to determine if GDB is present on the systemAffected if GDB is not installed or not found in the system PATH
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Identify installed GDB versionRun 'gdb --version' and capture the full version string, including any git commit identifiers or build dates shown in the outputAffected if The version string matches 13.0.50.20220805-git exactly or is a derivative build from that specific snapshot
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Confirm PE/COFF file processing contextDetermine if GDB is being used to debug or analyze PE or COFF format executable files (common on Windows executables or when cross-compiling for Windows targets)Affected if The vulnerable pe_as16() function in coff-pe-read.c is invoked when GDB loads a PE/COFF file for debugging or analysis
A user is affected if their installed GDB version is exactly 13.0.50.20220805-git and they open or analyze PE/COFF format files within GDB.
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 · scopedAvoid opening untrusted or malformed PE/COFF executable files in GDB. Update to a patched GDB version when released.
Any GDB version newer than 13.0.50.20220805-git that includes the fix for the pe_as16() heap overflow in coff-pe-read.c
- Check if your GDB version matches exactly 13.0.50.20220805-git using: gdb --version
- If affected, obtain a newer GDB release from sourceware.org/gdb/releases/ or your distribution's package manager
- For source compilation, pull the latest GDB source from git://sourceware.org/git/gdb.git and rebuild
- Verify the fix by confirming the pe_as16() function in coff-pe-read.c no longer contains the heap buffer overflow
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing3.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $2,800.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2023-39130 — 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-2023-39130 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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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.
- 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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