CVE-2023-43692
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 · uneditedAn issue was discovered in Malwarebytes before 4.6.14.326 and before 5.1.5.116 (and Nebula 2020-10-21 and later). Out-of-bound reads in strings detection utilities lead to system crashes.
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 confidenceAn out-of-bounds read vulnerability exists in the strings detection utilities of Malwarebytes before versions 4.6.14.326 and 5.1.5.116. The vulnerability allows the software to read memory outside allocated buffers when processing files or data through its string extraction functionality, leading to system crashes.
Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.
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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
-
Check if Malwarebytes is installedLook for Malwarebytes installation directory in Program Files (C:\Program Files\Malwarebytes or C:\Program Files (x86)\Malwarebytes) or check the Windows Programs and Features listAffected if Malwarebytes is found installed on the system
-
Find installed Malwarebytes versionOpen Windows Control Panel > Programs and Features, or right-click the Malwarebytes icon and select About, or check the version in the installation folder (typically in a version.dll or similar file)Affected if Cannot determine the version number from the installed software
-
Compare version against vulnerable rangesCompare your installed version to the affected ranges: 4.x versions below 4.6.14.326, or 5.x versions below 5.1.5.116Affected if Installed version is 4.x and less than 4.6.14.326, OR installed version is 5.x and less than 5.1.5.116
-
Verify string extraction functionality is in useCheck if Malwarebytes real-time protection or on-demand scanning features are enabled, as these invoke the string extraction functionality that triggers the vulnerable code pathAffected if Any scanning or protection feature that processes files is active
You are affected if Malwarebytes is installed with a version below 4.6.14.326 (4.x branch) or below 5.1.5.116 (5.x branch) and you use scanning or protection features that process files through string extraction.
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 · scopedUpgrade Malwarebytes to version 4.6.14.326 or later for the 4.x branch, version 5.1.5.116 or later for the 5.x branch, or the corresponding Nebula release after 2020-10-21.
Malwarebytes 4.6.14.326 (or later) or 5.1.5.116 (or later) depending on product line; Nebula post-2020-10-21
- Identify which Malwarebytes product is in use (consumer, business/endpoint protection, or Nebula)
- For Malwarebytes Endpoint Protection (Windows/Mac): Upgrade to version 4.6.14.326 or later
- For Malwarebytes Endpoint Protection (standalone or bundled): Upgrade to version 5.1.5.116 or later
- For Malwarebytes Nebula: Upgrade to a version released after October 21, 2020 that includes the fix
- Verify the installed version matches or exceeds the fixed release by checking About/Version in the product interface
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing6.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $3,808.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2023-43692 — 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-2023-43692 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
Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.
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
- No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data