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FrhedApplication · Kimmov

CVE-2023-4590

CRITICAL · 9.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2023-11-27
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
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
Buffer overflow vulnerability in Frhed hex editor, affecting version 1.6.0. This vulnerability could allow an attacker to execute arbitrary code via a long filename argument through the Structured Exception Handler (SEH) registers.

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

Buffer overflow vulnerability in Frhed hex editor v1.6.0 allows arbitrary code execution via a specially crafted long filename argument. The overflow overwrites Structured Exception Handler (SEH) registers, enabling attackers to redirect execution flow.

MitigationUpgrade to a patched version of Frhed; avoid opening files with untrusted long filenames until patched.

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
FrhedApplication
Affected:= 1.6.0

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
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/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. Verify Frhed installation and version
    Check if Frhed hex editor is installed and identify its exact version number. On Windows, common locations include Program Files or a user-installed applications folder. Right-click the executable, select Properties, and check the Version tab for the product version.
    Affected if The installed version is exactly 1.6.0
  2. Confirm executable filename
    Locate the main Frhed executable file (typically named frhed.exe or similar) and verify its version property matches the affected release.
    Affected if The executable reports version 1.6.0
  3. Assess file opening behavior
    Test opening a file with an unusually long filename (exceeding normal path length limits) through the File > Open menu or command line argument. Observe if the application crashes, hangs, or exhibits abnormal behavior.
    Affected if The application processes a long-filename argument and crashes or behaves unexpectedly, indicating potential SEH overwrite

You are affected only if Frhed version 1.6.0 is installed AND a file with a specially crafted long filename is opened, triggering the buffer overflow that overwrites SEH registers.

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.

From vendor data
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Upgrade to a patched version of Frhed; avoid opening files with untrusted long filenames until patched.

Fix this in Frhed Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA4.0 h
22.0 hours of engineering $3,860
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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-2023-4590 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