CVE-2023-49990 Memory corruption in n/a

Medium 5.3 Published 12 Dec 2023 Updated 4 Nov 2025

A buffer overflow in Espeak-ng allows attackers to execute arbitrary code or cause denial of service via crafted input.

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

What is CVE-2023-49990?

CVE-2023-49990 is a medium-severity memory corruption vulnerability in n/a, published on 12 Dec 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

Espeak-ng 1.52-dev was discovered to contain a buffer-overflow via the function SetUpPhonemeTable at synthdata.c.

Weakness: CWE-120

Which versions are affected by CVE-2023-49990?

It affects 1 product.

Products include Espeak-Ng Espeak-Ng.

How do I fix CVE-2023-49990?

Upgrade to a fixed version.

Upgrade to the fixed version. Memory-safe languages, compiler hardening and fuzzing prevent most new cases. More about Memory corruption.

Is CVE-2023-49990 being exploited?

It is not confirmed as exploited in the wild, but public exploit code for CVE-2023-49990 exists.

Sources

Also known as AZL-34674, DEBIAN-CVE-2023-49990, GHSA-x7cw-5x7j-jx35, UBUNTU-CVE-2023-49990.