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Full vulnerability report · 2023
CVE-2023-38471High confidence

Reachable assertion in dbus_set_host_name

Unknown · avahi

6.2MediumCVSS 3.1
Recommended action
Scheduled

Medium technical severity with no CISA KEV confirmation; remediate through the normal risk-based patch cycle unless local exposure raises the priority.

Patch available
R
Operational reassessment

Published severity in operational context

Open reassessment dashboard →
Published severityMediumOperational priority:Medium, unchanged from published severity.unchanged

Evidence used

  • No CISA KEV confirmation is currently recorded.
  • EPSS is 0.33% for the current model date.

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

  1. Confirm that the asset runs Unknown avahi and falls inside the recorded affected range.
  2. Verify the installed build against the product-specific fixed version after deployment.
  3. Validate exposure, authentication requirements and compensating controls in the actual environment.
  4. Reopen this reassessment when CVSS, KEV, EPSS, exploit evidence or remediation changes.
Mitigation target: As exposure requiresRemediation target: Within 365 days

This automated reassessment organises public evidence. It does not know asset exposure, business impact or control effectiveness and does not replace CVSS or a human risk decision.

Distribution package intelligence

Release-specific package status

Alpine, Debian findings are scoped to the named distribution, release and source package. An absent finding does not mean a package is unaffected.

7 package states
Repository candidate not checked

A published vendor fix does not prove that a matching update is enabled and installable on a particular asset. Confirm the local package candidate before scheduling remediation.

Distribution releaseSource packageVendor stateFixed versionEvidence
Alpine v3.23v3.23 · mainavahiVendor fix publishedAlpine records a security fix at this version. An absent entry does not mean the package is unaffected.0.8-r15Alpine Security Database ↗Source updated 3 Oct 2026
Alpine v3.22v3.22 · mainavahiVendor fix publishedAlpine records a security fix at this version. An absent entry does not mean the package is unaffected.0.8-r15Alpine Security Database ↗Source updated 3 Oct 2026
Alpine v3.21v3.21 · mainavahiVendor fix publishedAlpine records a security fix at this version. An absent entry does not mean the package is unaffected.0.8-r15Alpine Security Database ↗Source updated 3 Oct 2026
Debian trixietrixie · sourceavahiVendor fix publishedDebian records a fixed source-package version for this release.0.8-14Debian Security Tracker ↗Source updated 6 Oct 2026
Debian bookwormbookworm · sourceavahiVendor fix publishedDebian records a fixed source-package version for this release.0.8-10+deb12u1Debian Security Tracker ↗Source updated 6 Oct 2026
Debian forkyforky · sourceavahiVendor fix publishedDebian records a fixed source-package version for this release.0.8-14Debian Security Tracker ↗Source updated 6 Oct 2026
Debian sidsid · sourceavahiVendor fix publishedDebian records a fixed source-package version for this release.0.8-14Debian Security Tracker ↗Source updated 6 Oct 2026
Direct vendor intelligence

Authoritative vendor CSAF and VEX advisories

Structured product status and remediation from the issuing vendor. Product-state explanations are always visible; large lists can be searched or downloaded.

1 current
CVE-2023-38471 · CSAF 2.0 · revision 3 · finalRed Hat Product Securityavahi: Reachable assertion in dbus_set_host_name
45 known affected

The vendor explicitly identifies these products as affected by this CVE.

  • avahi as a component of Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6
  • avahi-autoipd as a component of Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6
  • avahi-compat-howl as a component of Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6
  • avahi-compat-howl-devel as a component of Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6
  • avahi-compat-libdns_sd as a component of Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6
  • avahi-compat-libdns_sd-devel as a component of Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6
  • avahi-devel as a component of Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6
  • avahi-dnsconfd as a component of Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6
  • avahi-glib as a component of Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6
  • avahi-glib-devel as a component of Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6
  • avahi-gobject as a component of Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6
  • avahi-gobject-devel as a component of Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6
Summary
A vulnerability was found in Avahi. A reachable assertion exists in the dbus_set_host_name function.
Remediation
For details on how to apply this update, which includes the changes described in this advisory, refer to: https://access.redhat.com/articles/11258 After installing the update, avahi-daemon will be restarted automatically.
Optional official sources

National CERT insights
?CERT means Computer Emergency Response Team; CSIRT is the closely related term Computer Security Incident Response Team.

Choose official national sources for this report. Each advisory shows its original language. Your selection is remembered on this device and included in shared links.

Official European source

ENISA European Vulnerability Database

Official EUVD identifiers, advisory evidence and known-exploited context. Missing fields are not treated as evidence of low risk.

1 current
ENISA EUVD identifier

EUVD-2023-42287

No EUVD known-exploited evidence

ENISA has published the identifier mapping but no EUVD description has been stored yet.

EUVD state
Present in the current official mapping
Known exploitation
Not present in the current ENISA EUVD known-exploited dataset. This is not proof of no exploitation.
ENISA score
Not supplied in the stored EUVD record
Advisory evidence
No linked advisory details stored yet
Recommended actionScheduled

Medium technical severity with no CISA KEV confirmation; remediate through the normal risk-based patch cycle unless local exposure raises the priority.

Patch available
01

What, why and how

A vulnerability was found in Avahi. A reachable assertion exists in the dbus_set_host_name function.

What

A vulnerability was found in Avahi. A reachable assertion exists in the dbus_set_host_name function.

Why

The product contains an assert() or similar statement that can be triggered by an attacker, which leads to an application exit or other behavior that is more severe than necessary.

How

An attacker operating through local access 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

A vulnerability was found in Avahi. A reachable assertion exists in the dbus_set_host_name function.

Why

The product contains an assert() or similar statement that can be triggered by an attacker, which leads to an application exit or other behavior that is more severe than necessary.

How

An attacker operating through local access 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
?Confirmed exploitation and public exploit material are separate signals. Attacks can occur without public proof-of-concept or exploit code.
No confirmed evidence

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
?Confirmed exploitation and public exploit material are separate signals. Attacks can occur without public proof-of-concept or exploit code.
None recorded

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
local access → Reachable Assertion → cause the confidentiality, integrity or availability impact described by the vendor
Attack surface
Local
Privileges required
None: unauthenticated exploitation is possible
User interaction
None
Attack complexity
Low: no specialised conditions are recorded
Security boundary
Unchanged: impact remains within the vulnerable component's security authority
Weakness
?CWE means Common Weakness Enumeration: a standard category for the underlying weakness.
CWE-617 ↗

CWE-617: Reachable Assertion. The product contains an assert() or similar statement that can be triggered by an attacker, which leads to an application exit or other behavior that is more severe than necessary.

CVSS vector
?CVSS means Common Vulnerability Scoring System. The vector records the metric values used to calculate technical severity.
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H

Common Vulnerability Scoring System 3.1: the compact vector below is decoded into plain language.

AVLocalAttack vector: The attacker needs local access to the vulnerable system.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.SUnchangedScope: The security impact remains within the vulnerable component's authority.CNoneConfidentiality impact: No direct loss is represented by this metric.INoneIntegrity impact: No direct loss is represented by this metric.AHighAvailability impact: A successful attack can cause a major loss.
Post-exploitation / living off the land
The issue can support a local privilege or sandbox boundary transition; normal system utilities may then be available in the gained context.
UnauthenticatedCWE-617
A

Official authority intelligence

Only matched European and national findings are included. Language selectors and unavailable sources are omitted.

BSI · German · WID-SEC-2024-1226Red Hat OpenShift: Mehrere Schwachstellen

Ein Angreifer kann mehrere Schwachstellen in Red Hat OpenShift ausnutzen, um Dateien zu manipulieren, einen Denial-of-Service-Zustand zu verursachen, beliebigen Code auszuführen, vertrauliche Informationen offenzulegen, seine Privilegien zu erweitern oder um weitere nicht spezifizierte Angriffe auszuführen.

Official advisory ↗
BSI · German · WID-SEC-2024-3377Dell PowerProtect Data Domain: Mehrere Schwachstellen

Ein lokaler Angreifer kann mehrere Schwachstellen in Dell PowerProtect Data Domain ausnutzen, um seine Privilegien zu erhöhen, Informationen offenzulegen und um nicht näher beschriebene Auswirkungen zu erzielen.

Official advisory ↗
BSI · German · WID-SEC-2023-2023avahi: Mehrere Schwachstellen

Ein Angreifer kann diese Schwachstellen in avahi ausnutzen, um einen Denial-of-Service-Zustand zu erzeugen.

Official advisory ↗
Cyber Security Agency of Singapore · English · CSA-SB-20231108Security Bulletin 08 Nov 2023

The Cyber Security Agency of Singapore included this CVE in its official Security Bulletin 08 Nov 2023, published on 8 November 2023. Open the linked bulletin for the product, severity and reference information published in that issue.

Official advisory ↗
CERT-FR · French · CERTFR-2025-AVI-0969Multiples vulnérabilités dans les produits VMware

ecord?id=CVE-2023-36054 Référence CVE CVE-2023-3618 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2023-3618 Référence CVE CVE-2023-36632 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2023-36632 Référence CVE CVE-2023-37769 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2023-37769 Référence CVE CVE-2023-38037 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2023-38037 Référence CVE CVE-2023-38039 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2023-38039 Référence CVE CVE-2023-3817 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2023-3817 Référence CVE CVE-2023-38469 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2023-38469 Référence CVE CVE-2023-38470 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2023-38470 Référence CVE CVE-2023-38471 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2023-38471 Référence CVE CVE-2023-38472 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2023-38472 Référence CVE CVE-2023-38473 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2023-38473 Référence CVE CVE-2023-38545 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2023-38545 Référence CVE CVE-2023-38546 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2023-38546 Référence CVE CVE-2023-38633 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2023-38633 Référence CVE CVE-2023-3896 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2023-3896 Référence CVE CVE-2023-39318 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2023-39318 Référence CVE CVE-2023-39319 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CV

Official advisory ↗
JVN iPedia · Japanese · JVNDB-2023-016004Avahi の Avahi 等複数ベンダの製品における到達可能なアサーションに関する脆弱性

Avahi の Avahi 等複数ベンダの製品には、到達可能なアサーションに関する脆弱性が存在します。

Official advisory ↗
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
Fixed
Action
For details on how to apply this update, which includes the changes described in this advisory, refer to: https://access.redhat.com/articles/11258 After installing the update, avahi-daemon will be restarted automatically.
Workaround
No verified workaround is recorded. Limit untrusted access and use least privilege until authoritative guidance is available.
04

Evidence and provenance

Published 2 Nov 2023 · Last source change 3 Nov 2025, 21:49 UTC · CWE-617 · Reachable Assertion

CVE recordCVE.org · 5.2
CVSS sourceCNA
EPSS source
?The date BlackTree first stored a score for this CVE from the daily FIRST EPSS feed.
FIRST · tracked since 2026-08-14
European sourceENISA EUVD · EUVD-2023-42287
Product sourceVendor CSAF · Red Hat Product Security
Remediation sourceVendor CSAF · Red Hat Product Security
CWE sourceCNA
NVD statusNVD modified after enrichment

Missing structured fields: affected product. Missing data is not evidence of low risk; review the primary advisory.

Material change intelligence

What changed after publication

View recent updates ↗
  1. Affected versionsThe structured affected or fixed version information changed.
    Before
    See the vendor and CVE records for the affected range. · Fixed: No fixed version is explicitly recorded in the structured CVE data.
    After
    See the vendor and CVE records for the affected range. · Fixed: For details on how to apply this update, which includes the changes described in this advisory, refer to: https://access.redhat.com/articles/11258 After installing the update, avahi-daemon will be restarted automatically.
    Red Hat Product Security ↗
  2. Remediation statusRemediation status changed from Awaiting fix to Patch available.
    Before
    Awaiting fix
    After
    Patch available
    Red Hat Product Security ↗
Material fields only · duplicate refreshes suppressed · history retained for the configured operational retention period
CVE published
Fixed release recorded from official guidance
ENISA EUVD · EUVD-2023-42287↗CVE authority or vendor reference↗Official CVE record (CNA and ADP data)↗NVD record↗
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.
Free version - for non-commercial use only.CVE-2023-38471 · cve.blacktree.nl