CVE-2023-50433
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 · uneditedmarshall in dhcp_packet.c in simple-dhcp-server through ec976d2 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service by sending a malicious DHCP packet. The crash is caused by a type confusion bug that results in a large memory allocation; when this memory allocation fails the DHCP server will crash.
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 confidenceA type confusion bug in the marshall function in dhcp_packet.c of simple-dhcp-server causes improper memory allocation when processing malicious DHCP packets. The resulting failed memory allocation triggers a crash, leading to denial of service.
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
- Adjacent
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- None
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:A/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.
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Confirm simple-dhcp-server installationSearch for the dhcp_packet.c file or the simple-dhcp-server binary in the system (e.g., using 'find / -name dhcp_packet.c' or checking package manager listings).Affected if The file or binary is found on the system.
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Verify DHCP server is activeCheck if the DHCP service is running and listening on UDP port 67 (e.g., using 'netstat -uan | grep :67' or 'systemctl status dhcp-server').Affected if The DHCP server is active and processing network requests.
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Inspect for crash logsReview system logs (e.g., /var/log/syslog, journalctl) for unexpected crashes or denial of service events related to the DHCP server.Affected if Unexpected crashes or service interruptions are logged without other explanation.
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Check installed versionDetermine the installed version of simple-dhcp-server via package manager or binary version flag (e.g., 'dpkg -l | grep simple-dhcp-server' or '--version'), then compare against any known vulnerable versions if available.Affected if The version is unpatched, unknown, or falls within a vulnerable range.
If simple-dhcp-server is installed, running, and processing DHCP packets, the environment is potentially affected by the type confusion flaw leading to crashes.
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.
From vendor dataRestrict network access to the DHCP server and monitor for unexpected crashes. Consider upgrading or patching when an official fix is released, as the vulnerability stems from a fundamental logic error in packet processing.
- Consultation3.0 h
- Implementation6.0 h
- Testing5.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2023-50433 — 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-2023-50433 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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- 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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