CVE-2023-6362
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 · uneditedA vulnerability has been discovered in Winhex affecting version 16.1 SR-1 and 20.4. This vulnerability consists of a buffer overflow controlling the Structured Exception Handler (SEH) registers. This could allow attackers to execute arbitrary code via a long filename argument.
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 confidenceA buffer overflow vulnerability in Winhex versions 16.1 SR-1 and 20.4 allows overwriting Structured Exception Handler (SEH) registers when processing a long filename argument. This SEH overwrite can be leveraged by attackers to achieve arbitrary code execution on the affected system.
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
- Local
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges
- Low
- User interaction
- Required
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Verify Winhex installation existsSearch for winhex.exe in common installation directories such as C:\Program Files\WinHex or C:\Program Files (x86)\WinHex, or check for WinHex in the Windows installed programs list via Registry key HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\UninstallAffected if Winhex is found installed on the system
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Determine installed Winhex versionRight-click winhex.exe, select Properties, and check the Details tab for Product Version, or launch Winhex and go to Help > About to view the exact version numberAffected if The displayed version is 16.1 SR-1 or 20.4
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Compare version against affected rangeCross-reference the found version number with the affected versions 16.1 SR-1 and 20.4 - note that only these two specific versions are vulnerableAffected if The installed version matches exactly 16.1 SR-1 or 20.4
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Verify vulnerability trigger conditionThe vulnerability is triggered when Winhex processes a long filename argument - this could occur when opening a file with an unusually long filename or when the application is invoked with a long filename parameterAffected if Winhex 16.1 SR-1 or 20.4 processes a long filename input
If Winhex version 16.1 SR-1 or 20.4 is installed and processes a long filename, the system is affected by this SEH overwrite vulnerability.
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 Winhex to a patched version if available; otherwise, implement proper input validation and bounds checking on filename handling code to prevent buffer overflows.
Winhex version 20.5 or later (or latest stable release)
- Check the vendor's official downloads page (x-ways.com) for Winhex version 20.5 or later, as newer versions typically include security fixes
- Verify the current installed version by opening Winhex and navigating to Help > About
- If version 20.5 or newer is available, download and install the latest version from the official vendor website
- After upgrading, test that Winhex functions normally with your typical workflows
- Ensure any files or processes that previously triggered the vulnerability are tested to confirm the overflow no longer occurs
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation12.0 h
- Testing6.0 h
- Review / QA3.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $7,040.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2023-6362 — 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-2023-6362 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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