# CVE-2023-33461: Null dereference in n/a

> A NULL pointer dereference in the iniparser library allows attackers to cause a denial of service via crafted input.

- **Severity:** Medium 5.5 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Not needed
- **Attackable:** Local or same network only
- **Victim action needed:** A user has to click or open something
- **Fix available:** Yes
- **Published:** 1 Jun 2023
- **Updated:** 9 Jan 2025
- **Also known as:** ALPINE-CVE-2023-33461, AZL-27073, AZL-34806, DEBIAN-CVE-2023-33461, ECHO-4478-1baf-05df, GHSA-j5q7-9p99-x3r2, OESA-2023-1388, SUSE-SU-2023:2692-1, SUSE-SU-2023:2749-1, UBUNTU-CVE-2023-33461, USN-6486-1, openSUSE-SU-2023:0183-1, openSUSE-SU-2024:13002-1

## What is CVE-2023-33461?

CVE-2023-33461 is a medium-severity vulnerability in n/a, published on 1 Jun 2023. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, and only if a user opens a file or follows a link.

### Official description

iniparser v4.1 is vulnerable to NULL Pointer Dereference in function iniparser_getlongint which misses check NULL for function iniparser_getstring's return.

Weakness: CWE-476 (NULL Pointer Dereference)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2023-33461?

It affects 1 product.


| Package | Ecosystem | Affected | Fixed in |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| `iniparser` | SUSE:Linux Enterprise Module for Server Applications 15 SP5 | All versions | 4.1-150500.4.3.1 |
| `iniparser` | SUSE:Linux Enterprise Server 12 SP5 | All versions | 3.1.0.git20140619_c5beb80a-3.3.1 |
| `iniparser` | SUSE:Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications 12 SP5 | All versions | 3.1.0.git20140619_c5beb80a-3.3.1 |
| `iniparser` | SUSE:Linux Enterprise Software Development Kit 12 SP5 | All versions | 3.1.0.git20140619_c5beb80a-3.3.1 |
| `iniparser` | SUSE:Package Hub 15 SP4 | All versions | 4.1-bp154.2.3.1 |
| `iniparser` | openSUSE:Leap 15.4 | All versions | 4.1-bp154.2.3.1 |
| `iniparser` | openSUSE:Leap 15.5 | All versions | 4.1-150500.4.3.1 |

Products: Ndevilla Iniparser.

## How do I fix CVE-2023-33461?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2023-33461 being exploited?

It is not confirmed as exploited in the wild, but public exploit code for CVE-2023-33461 exists.

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2023-33461 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2023-33461 is a medium-severity vulnerability in n/a, published on 1 Jun 2023. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, and only if a user opens a file or follows a link.
Exploitation: It is not confirmed as exploited in the wild, but public exploit code for CVE-2023-33461 exists.

Affected product: n/a. No package-level version data is available, so check the vendor advisory linked from the reference page.

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-2023-33461/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-33461/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2023-33461
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-33461
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2023-33461

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-33461/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.