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OpenvpnApplication

CVE-2023-46850

CRITICAL · 9.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2023-11-11
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 2.12.2 or later.
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
Use after free in OpenVPN version 2.6.0 to 2.6.6 may lead to undefined behavoir, leaking memory buffers or remote execution when sending network buffers to a remote peer.

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

Use-after-free vulnerability in OpenVPN versions 2.6.0 through 2.6.6 allows memory corruption when sending network buffers to a remote peer, potentially leaking memory contents or enabling remote code execution due to freed memory being accessed.

MitigationUpgrade OpenVPN to version 2.6.7 or later to address the use-after-free vulnerability; given the critical CVSS score and potential for remote execution, prioritize patching exposed VPN endpoints.

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
OpenvpnApplication
Affected:>= 2.6.0, <= 2.6.6
Openvpn Access ServerApplication
Affected:>= 2.11.0, <= 2.11.3>= 2.12.0, < 2.12.2
Debian LinuxOperating system
Affected:= 12.0
FedoraOperating system
Affected:= 39

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. Check OpenVPN version
    Run 'openvpn --version' or check the package manager (dpkg -l openvpn, rpm -qi openvpn)
    Affected if Version is 2.6.0 through 2.6.6 inclusive
  2. Check OpenVPN Access Server version
    Run 'openvpn-as --version' or check the package version via the admin web interface or package manager
    Affected if Version is 2.11.0-2.11.3 or 2.12.0-2.12.1
  3. Identify if the OpenVPN service is exposed
    Check if openvpn daemon is listening on public interfaces (netstat -tlnp | grep openvpn or ss -tlnp | grep openvpn)
    Affected if OpenVPN is running and accessible on network interfaces reachable by remote peers

You are affected if you run OpenVPN 2.6.0-2.6.6 or OpenVPN Access Server 2.11.0-2.11.3/2.12.0-2.12.1 and the service is network-accessible, as the use-after-free triggers when sending buffers to remote peers.

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 2.12.2 or later
Fixed in 2.12.2
Interim mitigation

Upgrade OpenVPN to version 2.6.7 or later to address the use-after-free vulnerability; given the critical CVSS score and potential for remote execution, prioritize patching exposed VPN endpoints.

Recommended fix High confidence

OpenVPN: upgrade to 2.6.7 or later; OpenVPN Access Server: upgrade to 2.12.2 or later; Debian 12/Fedora 39: apply vendor security updates

  1. Identify the currently installed OpenVPN version using 'openvpn --version' or checking your package manager
  2. For OpenVPN open source: Upgrade to version 2.6.7 or later by using your distribution's package manager (e.g., 'apt update && apt upgrade openvpn' on Debian/Ubuntu, or 'dnf update openvpn' on Fedora)
  3. For OpenVPN Access Server: Upgrade to version 2.12.2 or later via the admin web interface or command line using 'yum update openvpn-as' or 'apt update && apt install openvpn-as'
  4. After upgrade, restart the OpenVPN service using 'systemctl restart openvpn' or 'systemctl restart openvpn@<config>'
  5. Verify the new version is installed with 'openvpn --version' and confirm the service is running properly
Caveat Review OpenVPN 2.6.7 release notes for any configuration or protocol changes before upgrading in production environments

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

Fix this in Openvpn Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation6.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
15.0 hours of engineering $2,640
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An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $4,224.

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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-2023-46850 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