# CVE-2023-5908: Heap Based Buffer Overflow in PTC KEPServerEx

> A heap-based buffer overflow in PTC KEPServerEX allows attackers to crash the service or leak sensitive information.

- **Severity:** Critical 9.1 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/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:** 30 Nov 2023
- **Updated:** 2 Aug 2024
- **Also known as:** GHSA-m695-35xv-pjcm

## What is CVE-2023-5908?

CVE-2023-5908 is a critical memory corruption vulnerability in GE Gigital Industrial Gateway Server, published on 30 Nov 2023. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

KEPServerEX is vulnerable to a buffer overflow which may allow an attacker to crash the product being accessed or leak information.

Weakness: CWE-120 (Buffer Copy without Checking Size of Input), CWE-122 (Heap-based Buffer Overflow)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2023-5908?

It affects 8 products.


Products: Ge Industrial Gateway Server, Ptc Keepserverex, Ptc Opc-Aggregator, Ptc Thingworx Industrial Connectivity, Ptc Thingworx Kepware Edge, Ptc Thingworx Kepware Server, Rockwellautomation Kepserver Enterprise, Softwaretoolbox Top Server.

## How do I fix CVE-2023-5908?

No fix has been published for CVE-2023-5908 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2023-5908 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2023-5908 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in GE Gigital Industrial Gateway Server

- [CVE-2022-2825](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2022-2825/): Memory corruption in KEPServerEX (critical 9.8)
- [CVE-2020-27265](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2020-27265/): Memory corruption in PTC Kepware KEPServerEX; ThingWorx Industrial Connectivity; OPC-Aggregator; Rockwell Automation KEPServer Enterprise; GE Digital Industrial Gateway Server; Software Toolbox TOP Server (critical 9.8)
- [CVE-2022-2848](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2022-2848/): Memory corruption in KEPServerEX (critical 9.1)
- [CVE-2020-27263](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2020-27263/): Memory corruption in GE Digital Industrial Gateway Server (critical 9.1)
- [CVE-2020-27267](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2020-27267/): Memory corruption in GE Digital Industrial Gateway Server (critical 9.1)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2023-5908 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2023-5908 is a critical memory corruption vulnerability in GE Gigital Industrial Gateway Server, published on 30 Nov 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-2023-5908 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: GE Gigital Industrial Gateway Server. 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-2023-5908/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-5908/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2023-5908
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-5908
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2023-5908

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-5908/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.