# CVE-2023-43898: Null dereference in n/a

> Attackers can cause a denial of service via a crafted image file due to a null pointer dereference in the stb library.

- **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:** 3 Oct 2023
- **Updated:** 17 Jun 2025
- **Also known as:** DEBIAN-CVE-2023-43898, GHSA-r7w9-77p6-9q6m, OESA-2023-1837, UBUNTU-CVE-2023-43898

## What is CVE-2023-43898?

CVE-2023-43898 is a medium-severity vulnerability in n/a, published on 3 Oct 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

Nothings stb 2.28 was discovered to contain a Null Pointer Dereference via the function stbi__convert_format. This vulnerability allows attackers to cause a Denial of Service (DoS) via a crafted pic file.

Weakness: CWE-476 (NULL Pointer Dereference)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2023-43898?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Nothings Stb Image.h.

## How do I fix CVE-2023-43898?

Upgrade to a fixed version.

## Is CVE-2023-43898 being exploited?

It is not confirmed as exploited in the wild, but public exploit code for CVE-2023-43898 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-2023-43281](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-43281/): Use after free in n/a (medium 6.5)
- [CVE-2023-45661](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-45661/): Wild address read in stbi__gif_load_next in stb_image (medium 6.5)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2023-43898 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2023-43898 is a medium-severity vulnerability in n/a, published on 3 Oct 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-2023-43898 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-2023-43898/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-43898/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2023-43898
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-43898
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2023-43898

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-43898/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.