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FirebirdApplication · Firebirdsql

CVE-2023-41038

HIGH · 7.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2024-03-20
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to after 4.0.3 or later.
See remediation →
84/100
Remediation priority · High
Remotely reachable No privileges 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
Firebird is a relational database. Versions 4.0.0 through 4.0.3 and version 5.0 beta1 are vulnerable to a server crash when a user uses a specific form of SET BIND statement. Any non-privileged user with minimum access to a server may type a statement with a long `CHAR` length, which causes the server to crash due to stack corruption. Versions 4.0.4.2981 and 5.0.0.117 contain fixes for this issue. No known workarounds are available.

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

Firebird SQL database versions 4.0.0 through 4.0.3 and 5.0 beta1 contain a stack corruption vulnerability triggered by the SET BIND statement when used with an excessively long CHAR length specification. Any authenticated user with minimal database access can cause the server to crash, resulting in denial of service.

MitigationUpgrade to Firebird version 4.0.4.2981 or 5.0.0.117 or later to remediate this vulnerability. No workarounds are available.

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
FirebirdApplication
Affected:>= 4.0.0, <= 4.0.3= 5.0

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

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/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. Determine installed Firebird version
    Run 'fbversion' or query the RDB$GET_CONTEXT function: SELECT rdb$get_context('SYSTEM', 'ENGINE_VERSION') FROM rdb$database; Alternatively, check the Firebird server executable file version properties.
    Affected if The version is 4.0.0, 4.0.1, 4.0.2, 4.0.3, or 5.0 beta (any pre-4.0.4 or pre-5.0.0 release).
  2. Identify SET BIND usage in your environment
    Search configuration files, SQL scripts, application source code, and stored procedures for the string 'SET BIND' to determine if this command is used.
    Affected if SET BIND with CHAR length specification is actively used in any database, application, or script in the environment.
  3. Check for authenticated user access
    Review user accounts and authentication settings in Firebird. Query the security database: SELECT RDB$USER, RDB$PRIVILEGE FROM RDB$USER_PRIVILEGES WHERE RDB$OBJECT_TYPE = 0;
    Affected if Any authenticated user account exists with at least minimal database access (even read-only or limited access).

You are affected if Firebird version is 4.0.0-4.0.3 or 5.0 beta AND any authenticated user can execute SET BIND statements with CHAR length parameters in your environment.

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 4.0.3
Interim mitigation

Upgrade to Firebird version 4.0.4.2981 or 5.0.0.117 or later to remediate this vulnerability. No workarounds are available.

Recommended fix High confidence

Firebird 4.0.4.2981 or 5.0.0.117

  1. Identify current Firebird version using isql -z or SELECT rdb$get_context('SYSTEM', 'ENGINE_VERSION') FROM rdb$database;
  2. Download the fixed version: Firebird 4.0.4.2981 (for 4.x users) or Firebird 5.0.0.117 (for 5.x users) from firebirdsql.org
  3. Stop the Firebird server using fbguard or systemctl stop firebird
  4. Backup the existing Firebird installation directory and all databases
  5. Install the new version following the standard upgrade procedure for your platform
  6. Start the Firebird server
  7. Verify the fix by testing a SET BIND statement with a long CHAR length does not crash the server

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

Fix this in Firebird Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing8.0 h
  • Review / QA4.0 h
20.0 hours of engineering $3,440
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $5,504.

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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-2023-41038 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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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