Evidence used
- No CISA KEV confirmation is currently recorded.
- EPSS is 0.35% for the current model date.
BlackTreeCVE IntelligenceFull vulnerability report · 2023
CVE-2023-23609High confidence
contiki-ng BLE-L2CAP contains Improper size validation of L2CAP frames
contiki-ng · contiki-ng
Official source article: GitHub GHSA-QR4Q-6H3M-H3G7 ↗. Check the applicable product and release in the original source.
8.2HighCVSS 3.1
Within 7 days
Patch availableHigh technical severity; prioritise exposed affected systems while verifying vendor guidance.
R
Open reassessment dashboard →Operational reassessment
Published severity in operational context
Published severityHigh→Operational priority:High, unchanged from published severity.unchanged
Compensating controls
- Validate the affected product branch and deploy the verified fixed release.
- Restrict local access and enforce least privilege on affected hosts.
- Monitor vendor guidance and exploitation sources for a material change.
Verification
- Confirm that the asset runs contiki-ng contiki-ng and falls inside the recorded affected range.
- Verify the installed build against the product-specific fixed version after deployment.
- Validate exposure, authentication requirements and compensating controls in the actual environment.
- Reopen this reassessment when CVSS, KEV, EPSS, exploit evidence or remediation changes.
High technical severity; prioritise exposed affected systems while verifying vendor guidance.
Patch available01
What, why and how
Contiki-NG is an open-source, cross-platform operating system for Next-Generation IoT devices. Versions prior to and including 4.8 are vulnerable to an out-of-bounds write that can occur in the BLE-L2CAP module. The Bluetooth Low Energy - Logical Link Control and Adaptation Layer Protocol (BLE-L2CAP) module handles fragmentation of packets up the configured MTU size. When fragments are reassembled, they are stored in a packet buffer of a configurable size, but there is no check to verify that the packet buffer is large enough to hold the reassembled packet. In Contiki-NG's default configuration, it is possible that an out-of-bounds write of up to 1152 bytes occurs. The vulnerability has been patched in the "develop" branch of Contiki-NG, and will be included in release 4.9. The problem can be fixed by applying the patch in Contiki-NG pull request #2254 prior to the release of version 4.9.
What
Contiki-NG is an open-source, cross-platform operating system for Next-Generation IoT devices. Versions prior to and including 4.8 are vulnerable to an out-of-bounds write that can occur in the BLE-L2CAP module. The Bluetooth Low Energy - Logical Link Control and Adaptation Layer Protocol (BLE-L2CAP) module handles fragmentation of packets up the configured MTU size. When fragments are reassembled, they are stored in a packet buffer of a configurable size, but there is no check to verify that the packet buffer is large enough to hold the reassembled packet. In Contiki-NG's default configuration, it is possible that an out-of-bounds write of up to 1152 bytes occurs. The vulnerability has been patched in the "develop" branch of Contiki-NG, and will be included in release 4.9. The problem can be fixed by applying the patch in Contiki-NG pull request #2254 prior to the release of version 4.9.
Why
A bounds error lets data be written beyond the intended memory region, potentially corrupting control data.
How
An attacker operating through an adjacent network may attempt exploitation without authentication or user interaction. If successful, the issue may cause the confidentiality, integrity or availability impact described by the vendor.
What
Contiki-NG is an open-source, cross-platform operating system for Next-Generation IoT devices. Versions prior to and including 4.8 are vulnerable to an out-of-bounds write that can occur in the BLE-L2CAP module. The Bluetooth Low Energy - Logical Link Control and Adaptation Layer Protocol (BLE-L2CAP) module handles fragmentation of packets up the configured MTU size. When fragments are reassembled, they are stored in a packet buffer of a configurable size, but there is no check to verify that the packet buffer is large enough to hold the reassembled packet. In Contiki-NG's default configuration, it is possible that an out-of-bounds write of up to 1152 bytes occurs. The vulnerability has been patched in the "develop" branch of Contiki-NG, and will be included in release 4.9. The problem can be fixed by applying the patch in Contiki-NG pull request #2254 prior to the release of version 4.9.
Why
A bounds error lets data be written beyond the intended memory region, potentially corrupting control data.
How
An attacker operating through an adjacent network may attempt exploitation without authentication or user interaction. If successful, the issue may cause the confidentiality, integrity or availability impact described by the vendor.
02
Exploit reality and attack path
CVSS severity, EPSS forecast probability, public exploit material and CISA-confirmed exploitation are separate signals.
Observed exploitation No confirmed evidence
?
Confirmed exploitation and public exploit material are separate signals. Attacks can occur without public proof-of-concept or exploit code.No CISA KEV match was present at the last successful refresh. This means no confirmation from that source, not proof of no exploitation.
Public PoC / exploit material None recorded
?
Confirmed exploitation and public exploit material are separate signals. Attacks can occur without public proof-of-concept or exploit code.No exploit-tagged reference or CISA SSVC proof-of-concept state is currently recorded. Research may still exist outside the structured feeds.
- Likely attack path
- an adjacent network → Out-of-bounds Write → cause the confidentiality, integrity or availability impact described by the vendor
- Attack surface
- Adjacent
- Privileges required
- None: unauthenticated exploitation is possible
- User interaction
- None
- Attack complexity
- Low: no specialised conditions are recorded
- Security boundary
- Changed: exploitation can affect a different security authority
- Weakness
?
CWE means Common Weakness Enumeration: a standard category for the underlying weakness. - CWE-787 ↗
CWE-787: Out-of-bounds Write. The product writes data past the end, or before the beginning, of the intended buffer.
- CVSS vector
?
CVSS means Common Vulnerability Scoring System. The vector records the metric values used to calculate technical severity. CVSS:3.1/AV:A/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:N/I:H/A:LCommon Vulnerability Scoring System 3.1: the compact vector below is decoded into plain language.
AVAdjacentAttack vector: The attacker must be on an adjacent or logically close network.ACLowAttack complexity: No specialised conditions are required beyond attacker-controlled input.PRNonePrivileges required: The attacker does not need an account or existing privileges.UINoneUser interaction: No action by another user is required.SChangedScope: The attack can affect a component governed by a different security authority.CNoneConfidentiality impact: No direct loss is represented by this metric.IHighIntegrity impact: A successful attack can cause a major loss.ALowAvailability impact: A successful attack can cause a limited loss.- Post-exploitation / living off the land
- No specific living-off-the-land technique is confirmed in the structured sources. Monitor normal administration tools for activity inconsistent with the affected service's baseline.
03
Patch and workaround
Operational remediation based on structured source evidence.
- Status
?
Patch availability is based on structured fixed-version fields and authoritative update references. If no fix is verified, check the vendor advisory before making a change. - Patch available
- Affected
- contiki-ng: <= 4.8
- Action
- Review the linked authoritative reference and apply the recorded fixed release appropriate to the affected product branch.
- Workaround
- No verified workaround is recorded. Limit untrusted access and use least privilege until authoritative guidance is available.
04
Evidence and provenance
Published 25 Jan 2023 · Last source change 11 Mar 2025, 13:32 UTC · CWE-787 · Out-of-bounds Write
CVE recordCVE.org · 5.1
CVSS sourceCNA
EPSS source FIRST · tracked since 2026-08-14
?
The date BlackTree first stored a score for this CVE from the daily FIRST EPSS feed.European sourceENISA EUVD · EUVD-2023-27708
Product sourceCNA
Remediation sourceCVE/CNA references
CWE sourceCNA
NVD statusNVD modified after enrichment
Core structured fields are present and their contributing authorities are shown above.
Material change intelligence
View recent updates ↗What changed after publication
No material field changes have been recorded since change tracking began. Routine source refreshes and cosmetic edits are intentionally excluded.
CVE published
Fixed release or patch reference recorded
Technical terms and abbreviations used in this report
- CVE
- Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures: the public identifier for one disclosed vulnerability.
- CVSS
- Common Vulnerability Scoring System: a technical severity framework; it is not patching priority by itself.
- EPSS
- Exploit Prediction Scoring System: FIRST's estimate of the probability that exploitation activity will be observed in the next 30 days; it is a forecast, not confirmation.
- CWE
- Common Weakness Enumeration: the standard category describing the underlying software or hardware weakness.
- CNA
- CVE Numbering Authority: an organisation authorised to assign and publish CVE records.
- CISA ADP
- Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency Authorized Data Publisher: structured enrichment added to a CVE record.
- NVD
- National Vulnerability Database: NIST's enrichment service for CVE records.
- CERT / CSIRT
- A computer security incident response team that publishes warnings or coordinates incident response.
- PoC
- Proof of concept: public material that demonstrates or helps reproduce exploitation.
- CSAF
- Common Security Advisory Framework: a machine-readable format for security advisories.
- LoTL
- Living off the land: abuse of legitimate tools or system functions during an attack.