Cyber Resilience

CVE-2023-6016

RCE in H2O

Public PoCRCE
Published
16 November 2023
Modified
21 November 2024
CVSS Score v3.1 9.8
Click a component to see what it means
Raw vectorCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
EPSS Score 0.31 98th percentile
Risk Priority 96 floored blend · peak EPSS

Summary

CVE-2023-6016 is a critical-severity Code Injection (CWE-94) vulnerability in H2O H2O. Its CVSS base score is 9.8 (Critical).

Operationally, exploitation aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique Command and Scripting Interpreter (T1059); ranked in the top 2% of CVEs by exploit likelihood; it is not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog; a public proof-of-concept is referenced.

This vulnerability is AI-related — categorised as Other AI Platforms; in the Supply Chain and Deployment risk domain.

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-2023-6016 is a critical code injection vulnerability, tracked as CWE-94, that affects the H2O dashboard. The flaw resides in the POJO model import feature and carries a CVSS 3.1 score of 9.8, reflecting network-accessible attack conditions that require no authentication or user interaction.

An unauthenticated attacker with network reachability to the H2O server can supply a malicious POJO model through the import interface, resulting in arbitrary code execution on the underlying host. Successful exploitation grants the attacker full control over the server process and any data or models it handles.

The EPSS score for this CVE stands at 0.6824, a level that signals meaningful real-world exploitation interest. Because H2O is widely used in machine-learning pipelines, the issue directly affects production AI/ML environments that expose the dashboard.

OWASP Top 10 for Web (2025)

EU & UK References

Vulnerability Data

An attacker is able to gain remote code execution on a server hosting the H2O dashboard through it's POJO model import feature.

CWE(s)

AI Security AnalysisAI

AI Category
Other AI Platforms
Risk Domain
Supply Chain and Deployment
OWASP Top 10 for LLMs 2025
None mapped
Classification Reason
H2O is an open-source machine learning platform with a dashboard for model management, and the vulnerability exploits the POJO model import feature, confirming AI/ML relevance.

Related Threats

MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise Techniques

T1059 Command and Scripting Interpreter Execution
Adversaries may abuse command and script interpreters to execute commands, scripts, or binaries.
T1059.001 PowerShell Execution
Adversaries may abuse PowerShell commands and scripts for execution.
T1059.002 AppleScript Execution
Adversaries may abuse AppleScript for execution.
T1059.004 Unix Shell Execution
Adversaries may abuse Unix shell commands and scripts for execution.
T1059.005 Visual Basic Execution
Adversaries may abuse Visual Basic (VB) for execution.
T1059.006 Python Execution
Adversaries may abuse Python commands and scripts for execution.
Derived from this CVE’s CWE(s) via the direct CWE→ATT&CK cross-walk.

CVEs Like This One

CVE-2024-5979Same product: H2O H2O
CVE-2024-10572Same product: H2O H2O
CVE-2026-3960Same product: H2O H2O
CVE-2024-45758Same product: H2O H2O
CVE-2024-5550Same product: H2O H2O
CVE-2023-6017Same product: H2O H2O
CVE-2024-1456Same product: H2O H2O
CVE-2026-8751Same product: H2O H2O
CVE-2025-10768Same product: H2O H2O
CVE-2025-10769Same product: H2O H2O

Affected Assets

h2o
h2o
all versions

Mitigating Controls

Control response

Prevent
Stop it (NIST 800-53)

Detect
Catch it (NIST detect / respond)

Harden
Shrink the surface (DISA STIG)

Validate
Prove the fix (OWASP ASVS)
  • V1.3.1

Likely Mitigating Controls AI

Per-CVE control mapping for this CVE has not run yet; the list below is derived from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry.

addresses: CWE-94

Makes persistent code injection into loaded programs impossible when the executable image itself resides on hardware-protected read-only media.

addresses: CWE-94

Dynamically generated code can be produced and executed inside the isolated chamber, preventing host compromise from code-injection payloads.

addresses: CWE-94

Validates inputs used in dynamic code generation to block injected directives.

addresses: CWE-94

Directly prevents execution of attacker-supplied code written into data memory regions.

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

PR.PS-06's SDLC practices directly target injection flaws via secure coding and testing (mostly), yet as a single broad outcome it leaves many code-generation specifics unaddressed (partial).

PR.DS-10 none match
prevents

PR.DS-10 protects runtime data confidentiality/integrity but has no bearing on neutralizing externally influenced input during code generation, so neither direction shows any preventive effect.

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.

prevents

Banning unapproved code samples and unauthenticated web services, combined with secure-coding standards and SAST, prevents the dynamic generation or inclusion of attacker-supplied code.

none

Controls that restrict unauthorized or malicious code from being introduced via external networks or removable media limit opportunities for an attacker to inject and execute arbitrary code.

References