# CVE-2023-23631: HAMT Decoding Panics in github.com/ipfs/go-unixfsnode

> Attackers can cause application crashes and memory leaks by providing malformed HAMT directory data to the go-unixfsnode library.

- **Severity:** Medium 5.9 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Not needed
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** Yes
- **Published:** 9 Feb 2023
- **Updated:** 10 Mar 2025
- **Also known as:** GHSA-4gj3-6r43-3wfc, GO-2023-1559

## What is CVE-2023-23631?

CVE-2023-23631 is a medium-severity denial of service vulnerability in ipfs go-unixfsnode, published on 9 Feb 2023. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

github.com/ipfs/go-unixfsnode is an ADL IPLD prime node that wraps go-codec-dagpb's implementation of protobuf to enable pathing. In versions priot to 1.5.2 trying to read malformed HAMT sharded directories can cause panics and virtual memory leaks.
If you are reading untrusted user input, an attacker can then trigger a panic. This is caused by bogus fanout parameter in the HAMT directory nodes. Users are advised to upgrade. There are no known workarounds for this vulnerability.

Weakness: CWE-400 (Uncontrolled Resource Consumption)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2023-23631?

3 open source packages ship an affected version, including github.com/ipfs/go-unixfsnode. It affects 1 product.


| Package | Ecosystem | Affected | Fixed in |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| `github.com/ipfs/go-unixfsnode` | Go | All versions | 1.5.2 |
| `github.com/ipfs/go-unixfsnode` | Go | All versions | 1.5.2 |
| `github.com/ipfs/go-unixfsnode` | Go | All versions | 1.5.2 |

Products: Protocol Go-Unixfsnode.

## How do I fix CVE-2023-23631?

Upgrade github.com/ipfs/go-unixfsnode to 1.5.2 or later.

## Is CVE-2023-23631 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2023-23631 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2023-23631 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2023-23631 is a medium-severity denial of service vulnerability in ipfs go-unixfsnode, published on 9 Feb 2023. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2023-23631 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected packages and fixed versions:
- github.com/ipfs/go-unixfsnode (Go): affected all versions; fixed in 1.5.2
- github.com/ipfs/go-unixfsnode (Go): affected all versions; fixed in 1.5.2
- github.com/ipfs/go-unixfsnode (Go): affected all versions; fixed in 1.5.2

Task:
1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies.
2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it.
3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead.
4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why.
5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing.

Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-23631/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-23631/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2023-23631
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-23631
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2023-23631

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-23631/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.