# CVE-2023-46442: Soot Infinite Loop vulnerability

> Attackers can cause a Denial of Service via an infinite loop in the Soot library's retrieveActiveBody function when running on Java 8.

- **Severity:** Medium 4.3 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:L`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Any signed-in user
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** Yes
- **Published:** 24 May 2024
- **Updated:** 13 Feb 2025
- **Also known as:** GHSA-hfg7-j82c-fr3w

## What is CVE-2023-46442?

CVE-2023-46442 is a medium-severity denial of service vulnerability in n/a, published on 24 May 2024. Any signed-in user can exploit it over the network, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

An infinite loop in the retrieveActiveBody function of Soot before v4.4.1 under Java 8 allows attackers to cause a Denial of Service (DoS).

Weakness: CWE-400 (Uncontrolled Resource Consumption)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2023-46442?

2 open source packages ship an affected version, including org.soot-oss:soot.


| Package | Ecosystem | Affected | Fixed in |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| `org.soot-oss:soot` | Maven | All versions | 4.4.1 |
| `org.soot-oss:soot` | Maven | All versions | 4.4.1 |

## How do I fix CVE-2023-46442?

Upgrade org.soot-oss:soot to 4.4.1 or later.

## Is CVE-2023-46442 being exploited?

It is not confirmed as exploited in the wild, but public exploit code for CVE-2023-46442 exists.

Public exploit code:

- POC for CVE-2023-46442 Denial of Service vulnerability found within Soot (github_poc): https://github.com/JAckLosingHeart/CVE-2023-46442_POC

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2023-46442 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2023-46442 is a medium-severity denial of service vulnerability in n/a, published on 24 May 2024. Any signed-in user can exploit it over the network, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: It is not confirmed as exploited in the wild, but public exploit code for CVE-2023-46442 exists.

Affected packages and fixed versions:
- org.soot-oss:soot (Maven): affected all versions; fixed in 4.4.1
- org.soot-oss:soot (Maven): affected all versions; fixed in 4.4.1

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-2023-46442/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-46442/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2023-46442
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-46442
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2023-46442

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-46442/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.