HOMEVULNERABILITIESCVE-2023-24809
MEDIUM

CVE-2023-24809

CWE-120Published: February 17, 2023· Updated: Jun 17, 2026

5.5
CVSS v3.1

Official Description

NetHack is a single player dungeon exploration game. Starting with version 3.6.2 and prior to version 3.6.7, illegal input to the "C" (call) command can cause a buffer overflow and crash the NetHack process. This vulnerability may be a security issue for systems that have NetHack installed suid/sgid and for shared systems. For all systems, it may result in a process crash. This issue is resolved in NetHack 3.6.7. There are no known workarounds.

NVD Source

Technical Analysis

CVE-2023-24809 requires local access, meaning attackers must already have a foothold on the target system.

Exploitation requires low privileges, which limits the exposure to scenarios where an attacker has already gained initial access.

A successful exploit results in availability disruption (denial of service), with a CVSS base score of 5.5.

CVSS v3.1 Vector Breakdown

Exploitability
Attack VectorLocal
Attack ComplexityLow
Privileges Req.Low
User InteractionNone
ScopeUnchanged
Impact
ConfidentialityNone
IntegrityNone
AvailabilityHigh
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H

Affected Vendors & Products

nethack1 product(s)
nethack
Source: NVD CPE · 1 total CPE entries

Exploit & PoC Resources

NO KNOWN EXPLOITNo public exploit confirmed at this time
Exploit-DB
Offensive Security exploit database
GitHub PoC Search
Community PoC repositories
Rapid7 / Metasploit
Metasploit module search
PacketStorm
Security advisories & exploits
NVD Detail
Official NIST entry
MITRE CVE
CVE Program entry
External links open in a new tab. Always verify in a controlled environment before use.

Official Patches & Advisories

ADVISORYhttps://github.com/NetHack/NetHack/security/advisories/GHSA-2cqv-5w4v-mgch
ADVISORYhttps://nethack.org/security/CVE-2023-24809.html
ADVISORYhttps://github.com/NetHack/NetHack/security/advisories/GHSA-2cqv-5w4v-mgch
ADVISORYhttps://nethack.org/security/CVE-2023-24809.html

All References (4)

→
https://github.com/NetHack/NetHack/security/advisories/GHSA-2cqv-5w4v-mgchVendor Advisory
→
https://nethack.org/security/CVE-2023-24809.htmlVendor Advisory
→
https://github.com/NetHack/NetHack/security/advisories/GHSA-2cqv-5w4v-mgchVendor Advisory
→
https://nethack.org/security/CVE-2023-24809.htmlVendor Advisory

Quick Facts

CVE IDCVE-2023-24809
CVSS Score5.5 / 10
SeverityMEDIUM
WeaknessCWE-120
CISA KEVNo
Affected1 vendor(s)
PublishedFeb 17, 2023

Related CVEs (CWE-120)

CVE-2001-0554
10.0
CVE-2011-4862
10.0
CVE-2022-20827
10.0
CVE-2022-31481
10.0
CVE-2023-4260
10.0
CVE-2007-1770
10.0

Recommended Actions

  • →Apply vendor patches immediately
  • →Monitor CVE-2023-24809 in threat intel feeds
  • →Review IDS/IPS signatures for exploitation attempts
Data sourced from NVD (NIST), CISA KEV, and EPSS (FIRST). Analysis generated by CTIWATCH.COM. CVE data is provided under the NVD usage policy.
← All Vulnerabilities·Search for CVE-2023-24809·NVD