# CVE-2023-5072: DoS Vulnerability in JSON-Java

> An attacker can cause a denial of service by sending a small input string that triggers excessive memory consumption in the JSON-Java parser.

- **Severity:** High 7.5 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/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:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** Yes
- **Published:** 12 Oct 2023
- **Updated:** 13 Feb 2025
- **Also known as:** CLEANSTART-2026-RW83573, CLSA-2025-1761091596, CLSA-2025-1761177997, DEBIAN-CVE-2023-5072, ECHO-8c7a-7f94-5491, GHSA-4jq9-2xhw-jpx7, MINI-7r6w-wm6x-wrf3, ROOT-APP-MAVEN-CVE-2023-5072, UBUNTU-CVE-2023-5072

## What is CVE-2023-5072?

CVE-2023-5072 is a high-severity denial of service vulnerability in https://github.com/stleary/JSON-java n/a, published on 12 Oct 2023. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

Denial of Service  in JSON-Java versions up to and including 20230618.  A bug in the parser means that an input string of modest size can lead to indefinite amounts of memory being used.

Weakness: CWE-770 (Allocation of Resources Without Limits or Throttling)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2023-5072?

2 open source packages ship an affected version, including org.json:json. It affects 1 product.


| Package | Ecosystem | Affected | Fixed in |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| `org.json:json` | Maven | All versions | 20231013 |
| `org.json:json` | Maven | All versions | 20231013 |

Products: Stleary Json-Java.

## How do I fix CVE-2023-5072?

Upgrade org.json:json to 20231013 or later.

## Is CVE-2023-5072 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2023-5072 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2023-5072 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2023-5072 is a high-severity denial of service vulnerability in https://github.com/stleary/JSON-java n/a, published on 12 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-2023-5072 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected packages and fixed versions:
- org.json:json (Maven): affected all versions; fixed in 20231013
- org.json:json (Maven): affected all versions; fixed in 20231013

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-2023-5072/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-5072/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2023-5072
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-5072
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2023-5072

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-5072/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.