# CVE-2023-43281: Use after free in n/a

> A double free vulnerability in the stb_image library allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service via a crafted GIF file.

- **Severity:** Medium 6.5 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:N/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:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** A user has to click or open something
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 24 Oct 2023
- **Updated:** 11 Sep 2024
- **Also known as:** GHSA-fr72-j747-8gp8, UBUNTU-CVE-2023-43281

## What is CVE-2023-43281?

CVE-2023-43281 is a medium-severity use after free vulnerability in n/a, published on 24 Oct 2023. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, and only if a user opens a file or follows a link.

### Official description

Double Free vulnerability in Nothings Stb Image.h v.2.28 allows a remote attacker to cause a denial of service via a crafted file to the stbi_load_gif_main function.

Weakness: CWE-415 (Double Free)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2023-43281?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Nothings Stb Image.h.

## How do I fix CVE-2023-43281?

No fix has been published for CVE-2023-43281 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2023-43281 being exploited?

It is not confirmed as exploited in the wild, but public exploit code for CVE-2023-43281 exists.

## Other vulnerabilities in n/a

- [CVE-2019-19777](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2019-19777/): Memory corruption in n/a (high 8.8)
- [CVE-2023-45664](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-45664/): Double-free in stbi__load_gif_main_outofmem in stb_image (high 7.3)
- [CVE-2023-45666](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-45666/): Possible double-free or memory leak in stbi__load_gif_main in stb_image (high 7.3)
- [CVE-2023-45661](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-45661/): Wild address read in stbi__gif_load_next in stb_image (medium 6.5)
- [CVE-2023-45662](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-45662/): Multi-byte read heap buffer overflow in stbi__vertical_flip in stb_image (medium 6.5)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2023-43281 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2023-43281 is a medium-severity use after free vulnerability in n/a, published on 24 Oct 2023. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, 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-2023-43281 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-2023-43281/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-43281/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2023-43281
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-43281
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2023-43281

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-43281/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.