Code InjectionWeakness · CWE-94

CVE-2024-54756

CRITICAL · 9.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2025-02-20
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
A remote code execution (RCE) vulnerability in the ZScript function of ZDoom Team GZDoom v4.13.1 allows attackers to execute arbitrary code via supplying a crafted PK3 file containing a malicious ZScript source file.

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

A remote code execution vulnerability exists in the ZScript function of GZDoom v4.13.1. Attackers can execute arbitrary code by supplying a crafted PK3 file containing malicious ZScript source code that is loaded by the game engine.

MitigationUsers should avoid loading PK3 files from untrusted sources. Administrators should upgrade to a patched version of GZDoom when available and implement network-level controls to block delivery of malicious PK3 content.

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
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. Identify installed GZDoom version
    Launch GZDoom and navigate to the Help > About menu, or check the executable properties (right-click the GZDoom binary > Properties > Details) to view the product version
    Affected if The installed version is 4.13.1 or falls within the affected range that includes 4.13.1
  2. Locate PK3 files in the game directories
    Search the GZDoom base directory, IWAD folders, and any directories listed in the GZDoom lump search path for .pk3 files (these are ZIP-format archives)
    Affected if Any PK3 files are present, particularly those obtained from untrusted or unknown sources
  3. Determine source of PK3 files
    Review the origin of each PK3 file found - check file metadata, download history, or accompanying documentation to identify if the file came from a trusted developer or community source
    Affected if Any PK3 file was downloaded from untrusted sources, forums, or file sharing platforms without verification
  4. Check for ZScript-based content in PK3 files
    Inspect the contents of suspicious PK3 files by renaming the extension to .zip and examining the internal structure for .zs files (ZScript source files)
    Affected if The PK3 contains ZScript files (.zs) from an untrusted source, as this would enable the attack vector

You are affected if GZDoom v4.13.1 (or an affected version) is installed AND you have loaded or could load a PK3 file containing malicious ZScript code from an untrusted source.

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
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Users should avoid loading PK3 files from untrusted sources. Administrators should upgrade to a patched version of GZDoom when available and implement network-level controls to block delivery of malicious PK3 content.

Recommended fix High confidence

GZDoom v4.14.0 or later

  1. 1. Identify all GZDoom installations in your environment that run version 4.13.1 or earlier
  2. 2. Backup any custom ZScript files, pk3/pk7 archives, and configuration files before updating
  3. 3. Download GZDoom version 4.14.0 or later from the official GitHub repository at github.com/ZDoom/gzdoom
  4. 4. Replace the existing GZDoom executable with the updated version
  5. 5. Verify that custom WADs and PK3 files load correctly with the new version
  6. 6. Test any ZScript functionality to ensure scripts operate as expected post-upgrade
Caveat ZScript syntax and API changes between v4.13.1 and v4.14.0 may require modifications to existing scripts; review ZScript changelog if custom scripts fail to compile

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

Have this fixed Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation6.0 h
  • Implementation12.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA4.0 h
28.0 hours of engineering $4,980
Get help mitigating

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $7,968.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2024-54756 — 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 sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2024-54756 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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.

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