# CVE-2023-38546: Information disclosure in curl

> An attacker can force libcurl to load cookies from a file named 'none' if specific conditions are met, potentially exposing sensitive cookie data.

- **Severity:** Low 3.7 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:N`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Not needed
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** Yes
- **Published:** 18 Oct 2023
- **Updated:** 14 Oct 2026
- **Also known as:** ALPINE-CVE-2023-38546, AZL-31289, AZL-31502, AZL-34610, AZL-38099, BELL-CVE-2023-38546, CLEANSTART-2026-CT71104, CLSA-2023-1697463318, CLSA-2023-1697463486, CLSA-2023-1697463947, CLSA-2023-1697464394, CLSA-2023-1697464688, CLSA-2023-1697465164, CLSA-2023-1697465582, CURL-CVE-2023-38546, DEBIAN-CVE-2023-38546, GHSA-x3qx-m3c2-qfhx, JLSEC-2025-35, RHSA-2023:7540, RHSA-2024:2101, SUSE-SU-2023:4045-1, UBUNTU-CVE-2023-38546, USN-6429-2

## What is CVE-2023-38546?

CVE-2023-38546 is a low-severity vulnerability in Haxx Libcurl, published on 18 Oct 2023. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

This flaw allows an attacker to insert cookies at will into a running program
using libcurl, if the specific series of conditions are met.

libcurl performs transfers. In its API, an application creates "easy handles"
that are the individual handles for single transfers.

libcurl provides a function call that duplicates en easy handle called
[curl_easy_duphandle](https://curl.se/libcurl/c/curl_easy_duphandle.html).

If a transfer has cookies enabled when the handle is duplicated, the
cookie-enable state is also cloned - but without cloning the actual
cookies. If the source handle did not read any cookies from a specific file on
disk, the cloned version of the handle would instead store the file name as
`none` (using the four ASCII letters, no quotes).

Subsequent use of the cloned handle that does not explicitly set a source to
load cookies from would then inadvertently load cookies from a file named
`none` - if such a file exists and is readable in the current directory of the
program using libcurl. And if using the correct file format of course.

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2023-38546?

It affects 1 product.


| Package | Ecosystem | Affected | Fixed in |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| `curl` | Red Hat:rhel_eus:8.8::baseos | All versions | 0:7.61.1-30.el8_8.6 |
| `curl-debuginfo` | Red Hat:rhel_eus:8.8::baseos | All versions | 0:7.61.1-30.el8_8.6 |
| `curl-debugsource` | Red Hat:rhel_eus:8.8::baseos | All versions | 0:7.61.1-30.el8_8.6 |
| `curl-minimal-debuginfo` | Red Hat:rhel_eus:8.8::baseos | All versions | 0:7.61.1-30.el8_8.6 |
| `libcurl` | Red Hat:rhel_eus:8.8::baseos | All versions | 0:7.61.1-30.el8_8.6 |
| `libcurl-debuginfo` | Red Hat:rhel_eus:8.8::baseos | All versions | 0:7.61.1-30.el8_8.6 |
| `libcurl-devel` | Red Hat:rhel_eus:8.8::baseos | All versions | 0:7.61.1-30.el8_8.6 |
| `libcurl-minimal` | Red Hat:rhel_eus:8.8::baseos | All versions | 0:7.61.1-30.el8_8.6 |
| `libcurl-minimal-debuginfo` | Red Hat:rhel_eus:8.8::baseos | All versions | 0:7.61.1-30.el8_8.6 |
| `puppet-agent` | Red Hat:rhel_satellite_client:6::el6 | All versions | 0:7.28.0-1.el6sat |
| `puppet-agent` | Red Hat:rhel_satellite_client:6::el7 | All versions | 0:7.28.0-1.el7sat |
| `puppet-agent` | Red Hat:rhel_satellite_client:6::el8 | All versions | 0:7.28.0-1.el8sat |
| `puppet-agent` | Red Hat:rhel_satellite_client:6::el9 | All versions | 0:7.28.0-1.el9sat |
| `curl` | SUSE:Linux Enterprise Micro 5.1 | All versions | 7.66.0-150200.4.60.1 |
| `curl` | SUSE:Linux Enterprise Micro 5.2 | All versions | 7.66.0-150200.4.60.1 |
| `curl` | SUSE:Manager Proxy 4.2 | All versions | 7.66.0-150200.4.60.1 |
| `curl` | SUSE:Manager Server 4.2 | All versions | 7.66.0-150200.4.60.1 |

Products: Haxx Libcurl.

## How do I fix CVE-2023-38546?

Upgrade to a fixed version.

## Is CVE-2023-38546 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2023-38546 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in Haxx Libcurl

- [CVE-2024-6197](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2024-6197/): freeing stack buffer in utf8asn1str (high 7.5)
- [CVE-2017-1000254](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2017-1000254/): Memory corruption in n/a (high 7.5)
- [CVE-2016-7141](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2016-7141/): Auth bypass in n/a (high 7.5)
- [CVE-2017-1000099](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2017-1000099/): Information disclosure in n/a (medium 6.5)
- [CVE-2017-1000100](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2017-1000100/): Information disclosure in n/a (medium 6.5)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2023-38546 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2023-38546 is a low-severity vulnerability in Haxx Libcurl, published on 18 Oct 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-2023-38546 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: Haxx Libcurl. 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-2023-38546/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-38546/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2023-38546
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-38546
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2023-38546

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-38546/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.