libxlsv 1.6.2 XLS File xlstool.c get_string buffer overflow

HistoryDiffrelatejsonxmlCTI

CVSS Meta Temp Score CVSS is a standardized scoring system to determine possibilities of attacks. The Temp Score considers temporal factors like disclosure, exploit and countermeasures. The unique Meta Score calculates the average score of different sources to provide a normalized scoring system.	Current Exploit Price (≈) Our analysts are monitoring exploit markets and are in contact with vulnerability brokers. The range indicates the observed or calculated exploit price to be seen on exploit markets. A good indicator to understand the monetary effort required for and the popularity of an attack.	CTI Interest Score Our Cyber Threat Intelligence team is monitoring different web sites, mailing lists, exploit markets and social media networks. The CTI Interest Score identifies the interest of attackers and the security community for this specific vulnerability in real-time. A high score indicates an elevated risk to be targeted for this vulnerability.
6.4	$0-$5k	0.00

Summaryinfo

A vulnerability was found in libxlsv 1.6.2. It has been classified as critical. This impacts the function get_string of the file xlstool.c of the component XLS File Handler. This manipulation causes buffer overflow. This vulnerability is registered as CVE-2023-38855. Remote exploitation of the attack is possible. No exploit is available.

Detailsinfo

A vulnerability has been found in libxlsv 1.6.2 and classified as critical. Affected by this vulnerability is the function get_string of the file xlstool.c of the component XLS File Handler. The manipulation with an unknown input leads to a buffer overflow vulnerability. The CWE definition for the vulnerability is CWE-120. The product copies an input buffer to an output buffer without verifying that the size of the input buffer is less than the size of the output buffer, leading to a buffer overflow. As an impact it is known to affect confidentiality, integrity, and availability. The summary by CVE is:

Buffer Overflow vulnerability in libxlsv.1.6.2 allows a remote attacker to execute arbitrary code and cause a denial of service via a crafted XLS file to the get_string function in xlstool.c:395.

The weakness was published 08/15/2023 as 124. It is possible to read the advisory at github.com. This vulnerability is known as CVE-2023-38855 since 07/25/2023. Technical details of the vulnerability are known, but there is no available exploit. The pricing for an exploit might be around USD $0-$5k at the moment (estimation calculated on 01/20/2026).

The vulnerability scanner Nessus provides a plugin with the ID 232105 (Linux Distros Unpatched Vulnerability : CVE-2023-38855), which helps to determine the existence of the flaw in a target environment.

There is no information about possible countermeasures known. It may be suggested to replace the affected object with an alternative product.

The vulnerability is also documented in the databases at Tenable (232105) and EUVD (EUVD-2023-42628). Statistical analysis made it clear that VulDB provides the best quality for vulnerability data.

Productinfo

Name

libxlsv

Version

1.6.2

CPE 2.3info

CPE 2.2info

CVSSv4info

VulDB Vector: 🔍
VulDB Reliability: 🔍

CVSSv3info

VulDB Meta Base Score: 6.4
VulDB Meta Temp Score: 6.4

VulDB Base Score: 6.3
VulDB Temp Score: 6.3
VulDB Vector: 🔍
VulDB Reliability: 🔍

NVD Base Score: 6.5
NVD Vector: 🔍

CVSSv2info

AV	AC	Au	C	I	A
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💳	💳	💳	💳	💳	💳
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Vector	Complexity	Authentication	Confidentiality	Integrity	Availability
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VulDB Base Score: 🔍
VulDB Temp Score: 🔍
VulDB Reliability: 🔍

Exploitinginfo

Class: Buffer overflow
CWE: CWE-120 / CWE-119
CAPEC: 🔍
ATT&CK: 🔍

Physical: No
Local: No
Remote: Yes

Availability: 🔍
Status: Not defined

EPSS Score: 🔍
EPSS Percentile: 🔍

Price Prediction: 🔍
Current Price Estimation: 🔍

0-Day	Unlock	Unlock	Unlock	Unlock
Today	Unlock	Unlock	Unlock	Unlock

Nessus ID: 232105
Nessus Name: Linux Distros Unpatched Vulnerability : CVE-2023-38855

Threat Intelligenceinfo

Interest: 🔍
Active Actors: 🔍
Active APT Groups: 🔍

Countermeasuresinfo

Recommended: no mitigation known
Status: 🔍

0-Day Time: 🔍

Timelineinfo

07/25/2023 🔍
08/15/2023 +21 days 🔍
08/15/2023 +0 days 🔍
01/20/2026 +889 days 🔍

Sourcesinfo

Advisory: 124
Status: Confirmed

CVE: CVE-2023-38855 (🔍)
GCVE (CVE): GCVE-0-2023-38855
GCVE (VulDB): GCVE-100-237235
EUVD: 🔍

Entryinfo

Created: 08/15/2023 21:28
Updated: 01/20/2026 07:07
Changes: 08/15/2023 21:28 (40), 09/09/2023 19:15 (11), 03/07/2025 01:31 (17), 01/20/2026 07:07 (1)
Complete: 🔍
Cache ID: 216::103

Statistical analysis made it clear that VulDB provides the best quality for vulnerability data.