CVE-2023-38976
Weaviate 1.20.0
Raw vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:HSummary
CVE-2023-38976 is a high-severity Reachable Assertion (CWE-617) vulnerability in Weaviate Weaviate. Its CVSS base score is 7.5 (High).
Operationally, exploitation aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique Application or System Exploitation (T1499.004); ranked in the top 25% of CVEs by exploit likelihood; it is not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog; a public proof-of-concept is referenced.
Deeper analysis AI-assisted summary
Synthesised by an AI model from the NVD description and linked references — a reading aid, not an authoritative source.
Weaviate version 1.20.0 contains a reachable assertion flaw (CWE-617) in the handleUnbatchedGraphQLRequest function that can be triggered by network callers. The issue produces a denial-of-service condition with no authentication or user interaction required, corresponding to a CVSS 3.1 base score of 7.5.
An unauthenticated remote attacker can submit specially crafted GraphQL requests that reach the failing assertion, causing the server process to terminate and interrupting availability for legitimate users. The attack requires only network access and does not affect confidentiality or integrity.
Public references point to a detailed analysis at aisec.today and the upstream GitHub issue 3258, but no specific patch version, configuration workaround, or mitigation guidance is stated in the supplied references. The associated EPSS score has remained low, with a current value of 0.0874 and a peak of 0.0909.
EU & UK References
- 🇪🇺 ENISA EUVD: EUVD-2023-2241
Vulnerability Data
An issue in weaviate v.1.20.0 allows a remote attacker to cause a denial of service via the handleUnbatchedGraphQLRequest function.
- CWE(s)
Related Threats
MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise Techniques
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Affected Assets
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.
Secure SDLC practices directly prevent unsafe assertions from being coded in reachable paths.
Runtime monitoring of software can detect assertion-triggered crashes as adverse events.
Vulnerability identification processes can discover and record reachable-assertion flaws before deployment.
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.
Security testing in development can detect reachable assertions before release, reducing the likelihood of exploitation.
Secure development lifecycle mandates defensive coding and input validation that prevent reachable assertions from being triggered by untrusted data.
Application security requirements can specify that assertions must not be reachable from attacker-controlled inputs.
Secure architecture principles discourage the use of assertions for runtime error handling that an attacker could exploit.
Secure coding standards explicitly ban the use of assert() or equivalent statements that can be triggered by external input.