HOMEVULNERABILITIESCVE-2023-38346
HIGH

CVE-2023-38346

CWE-22Published: September 22, 2023· Updated: Jun 17, 2026

8.8
CVSS v3.1

Official Description

An issue was discovered in Wind River VxWorks 6.9 and 7. The function ``tarExtract`` implements TAR file extraction and thereby also processes files within an archive that have relative or absolute file paths. A developer using the "tarExtract" function may expect that the function will strip leading slashes from absolute paths or stop processing when encountering relative paths that are outside of the extraction path, unless otherwise forced. This could lead to unexpected and undocumented behavior, which in general could result in a directory traversal, and associated unexpected behavior.

NVD Source

Technical Analysis

CVE-2023-38346 can be exploited remotely over the network without requiring physical or adjacent access, significantly expanding the attack surface for threat actors.

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

A successful exploit results in complete confidentiality breach (data exposure), full integrity compromise (data manipulation), availability disruption (denial of service), with a CVSS base score of 8.8.

CVSS v3.1 Vector Breakdown

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

Affected Vendors & Products

windriver1 product(s)
vxworks
Source: NVD CPE · 2 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

PATCHhttps://support2.windriver.com/index.php?page=cve&on=view&id=CVE-2023-38346
PATCHhttps://support2.windriver.com/index.php?page=cve&on=view&id=CVE-2023-38346
ADVISORYhttps://support2.windriver.com/index.php?page=security-notices
ADVISORYhttps://www.pentagrid.ch/en/blog/wind-river-vxworks-tarextract-directory-traversal-vulnerability/
ADVISORYhttps://support2.windriver.com/index.php?page=security-notices
ADVISORYhttps://www.pentagrid.ch/en/blog/wind-river-vxworks-tarextract-directory-traversal-vulnerability/

All References (6)

→
https://support2.windriver.com/index.php?page=cve&on=view&id=CVE-2023-38346Patch · Vendor Advisory
→
https://support2.windriver.com/index.php?page=security-noticesVendor Advisory
→
https://www.pentagrid.ch/en/blog/wind-river-vxworks-tarextract-directory-traversal-vulnerability/Exploit · Technical Description · Third Party Advisory
→
https://support2.windriver.com/index.php?page=cve&on=view&id=CVE-2023-38346Patch · Vendor Advisory
→
https://support2.windriver.com/index.php?page=security-noticesVendor Advisory
→
https://www.pentagrid.ch/en/blog/wind-river-vxworks-tarextract-directory-traversal-vulnerability/Exploit · Technical Description · Third Party Advisory

Quick Facts

CVE IDCVE-2023-38346
CVSS Score8.8 / 10
SeverityHIGH
WeaknessCWE-22
CISA KEVNo
Affected1 vendor(s)
PublishedSep 22, 2023

Related CVEs (CWE-22)

CVE-2008-4526
10.0
CVE-2008-6833
10.0
CVE-2019-18253
10.0
CVE-2024-37902
10.0
CVE-2026-34909
KEV10.0
CVE-2008-6834
10.0

Recommended Actions

  • →Apply vendor patches immediately
  • →Monitor CVE-2023-38346 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.
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