Cyber Resilience

CVE-2023-31122

Memory Safety in Debian Linux 10.0

Published
23 October 2023
Modified
01 August 2025
Patch / advisory
CVSS Score v3.1 7.5
Click a component to see what it means
Raw vectorCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
EPSS Score 0.030 86th percentile
Risk Priority 64 floored blend · peak EPSS

Summary

CVE-2023-31122 is a high-severity Out-of-bounds Read (CWE-125) vulnerability in Debian Debian Linux. Its CVSS base score is 7.5 (High).

Operationally, exploitation aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique Exploitation for Privilege Escalation (T1068); ranked in the top 14% of CVEs by exploit likelihood; it is not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog.

Deeper analysis AI-assisted summary

Synthesised by an AI model from the NVD description and linked references — a reading aid, not an authoritative source.

CVE-2023-31122 is an out-of-bounds read vulnerability, tracked as CWE-125, that affects the mod_macro module in Apache HTTP Server versions through 2.4.57. The flaw carries a CVSS 3.1 score of 7.5 with a vector indicating network attackability, low complexity, and no required privileges or user interaction, resulting in high availability impact while leaving confidentiality and integrity unaffected.

Remote attackers can trigger the flaw over the network to induce a denial-of-service condition against an unpatched server. Because the vulnerability requires no authentication or special conditions beyond sending crafted requests, any internet-facing Apache instance running an affected version is potentially reachable.

The Apache project has published details at httpd.apache.org/security/vulnerabilities_24.html, and downstream distributions including Debian and Fedora have issued coordinated advisories that direct administrators to apply the corresponding package updates.

EPSS for the CVE rose from a low baseline to a peak of 0.0574 on 2025-01-22 before receding to the current value of 0.0040, indicating a period of increased exploitation interest well after initial disclosure.

EU & UK References

Vulnerability Data

Out-of-bounds Read vulnerability in mod_macro of Apache HTTP Server.This issue affects Apache HTTP Server: through 2.4.57.

CWE(s)

Related Threats

MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise Techniques

T1068 Exploitation for Privilege Escalation Privilege Escalation
Adversaries may exploit software vulnerabilities in an attempt to elevate privileges.
T1190 Exploit Public-Facing Application Initial Access
Adversaries may attempt to exploit a weakness in an Internet-facing host or system to initially access a network.
T1203 Exploitation for Client Execution Execution
Adversaries may exploit software vulnerabilities in client applications to execute code.
T1210 Exploitation of Remote Services Lateral Movement
Adversaries may exploit remote services to gain unauthorized access to internal systems once inside of a network.
T1211 Exploitation for Stealth Stealth
Adversaries may exploit vulnerabilities to evade detection by hiding activity, suppressing logging, or operating within trusted or unmonitored components.
T1212 Exploitation for Credential Access Credential Access
Adversaries may exploit software vulnerabilities in an attempt to collect credentials.
Derived from this CVE’s CWE(s) via the direct CWE→ATT&CK cross-walk.

CVEs Like This One

CVE-2023-4428Same product: Debian Debian Linux
CVE-2023-39353Same product: Debian Debian Linux
CVE-2023-1819Same product: Debian Debian Linux
CVE-2023-4431Same product: Debian Debian Linux
CVE-2023-4761Same product: Debian Debian Linux
CVE-2023-39356Same product: Debian Debian Linux
CVE-2023-41360Same product: Debian Debian Linux
CVE-2024-27008Same product: Debian Debian Linux
CVE-2023-40188Same product: Debian Debian Linux
CVE-2023-39354Same product: Debian Debian Linux

Affected Assets

debian
debian linux
10.0
apache
http server
≤ 2.4.58
fedoraproject
fedora
38

Mitigating Controls

Mitigating Controls (NIST CSF 2.0) AI

Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→CSF cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.

PR.PS-06 mostly match
prevents

Secure-development practices such as bounds checking and memory-safe languages directly prevent out-of-bounds reads.

ID.RA-01 partial match
prevents

Vulnerability scanning and recording can discover instances of out-of-bounds reads after code is deployed.

PR.PS-02 partial match
prevents

Routine patching replaces vulnerable code containing out-of-bounds read flaws.

Mitigating Controls (ISO/IEC 27001:2022 Annex A) AI

Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→ISO cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.

finds

Security testing in development and acceptance includes fuzzing and static analysis that detect out-of-bounds read defects before release.

A.8.15 Logging partial match
finds

Logging can record evidence of an out-of-bounds read but does not prevent the weakness itself.

prevents

Secure development life cycle mandates input validation and bounds checking that directly prevent out-of-bounds reads.

prevents

Application security requirements include explicit bounds and memory-safety specifications that mitigate buffer over-reads.

prevents

Secure system architecture and engineering principles require memory-safe design patterns and runtime protections against out-of-bounds access.

prevents

Secure coding standards explicitly forbid unsafe pointer arithmetic and mandate bounds-checked reads, eliminating CWE-125.

References