# CVE-2023-51888: Memory corruption in n/a

> A remote attacker can cause a denial of service in Mathtex by sending a crafted string, exploiting a buffer overflow in the nomath function.

- **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:** No
- **Published:** 24 Jan 2024
- **Updated:** 5 Sep 2024
- **Also known as:** DEBIAN-CVE-2023-51888, GHSA-36xj-gcr2-cgrf, UBUNTU-CVE-2023-51888

## What is CVE-2023-51888?

CVE-2023-51888 is a high-severity memory corruption vulnerability in n/a, published on 24 Jan 2024. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

Buffer Overflow vulnerability in the nomath() function in Mathtex v.1.05 and before allows a remote attacker to cause a denial of service via a crafted string in the application URL.

Weakness: CWE-120 (Buffer Copy without Checking Size of Input)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2023-51888?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Ctan Mathtex.

## How do I fix CVE-2023-51888?

No fix has been published for CVE-2023-51888 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2023-51888 being exploited?

It is not confirmed as exploited in the wild, but public exploit code for CVE-2023-51888 exists.

## Other vulnerabilities in n/a

- [CVE-2023-51885](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-51885/): Memory corruption in n/a (critical 9.8)
- [CVE-2023-51887](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-51887/): Command injection in n/a (critical 9.8)
- [CVE-2023-51889](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-51889/): Memory corruption in n/a (critical 9.8)
- [CVE-2023-51886](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-51886/): Memory corruption in n/a (high 7.5)
- [CVE-2023-51890](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-51890/): Denial of service in n/a (high 7.5)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2023-51888 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2023-51888 is a high-severity memory corruption vulnerability in n/a, published on 24 Jan 2024. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: It is not confirmed as exploited in the wild, but public exploit code for CVE-2023-51888 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-2023-51888/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-51888/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2023-51888
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-51888
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2023-51888

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-51888/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.