Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
This flaw affects MiniZip ZIP-creation code, not core supported zlib. If an application creates ZIP files using attacker-controlled long names, comments, or extra fields, memory corruption may result. Public sources also identify pyminizip through 0.2.6 as vulnerable because it bundles affected code.
Executive priority
Treat as high priority for products or internal services that generate ZIP files from untrusted content. It is lower urgency for systems only using supported core zlib compression and not MiniZip, but embedded copies can be easy to miss.
Technical view
CVE-2023-45853 is an integer overflow in MiniZip through zlib 1.3, leading to heap-based buffer overflow in zipOpenNewFileInZip4_64 when handling long filename, comment, or extra field values. The CVSS 3.1 score is 8.8 with low complexity, no privileges, and user interaction required.
Likely exposure
Exposure is most likely in software that embeds zlib contrib MiniZip, installs distro minizip packages, or uses pyminizip through 0.2.6. Standard zlib use without MiniZip is not shown as affected in the supplied sources.
Exploitation context
The supplied bundle does not show CISA KEV listing or active exploitation evidence. Practical risk depends on whether attackers can influence ZIP entry metadata passed into vulnerable ZIP-creation routines, directly or through an upload, export, packaging, or automation workflow.
Researcher notes
The key distinction is product boundary: sources state MiniZip is not a supported part of zlib, yet downstream projects bundle or expose it. Focus analysis on call paths into zipOpenNewFileInZip4_64 and downstream vendored code, not generic zlib presence alone.
Mitigation direction
- Apply vendor or distribution minizip updates where available.
- Inventory embedded MiniZip copies and replace affected source with maintained vendor guidance.
- Avoid pyminizip through 0.2.6 where attacker-controlled input reaches compression.
- Check Siemens, NetApp, Debian, Gentoo, Chromium, and upstream guidance for product-specific status.
- Reduce exposure by rejecting unusually long ZIP names, comments, and extra fields before compression.
Validation and detection
- Search dependency manifests and SBOMs for minizip, zlib contrib MiniZip, and pyminizip.
- Confirm whether ZIP creation accepts user-controlled filenames, comments, or extra fields.
- Verify deployed package versions against Debian, Gentoo, and vendor advisories.
- Review embedded third-party source trees for contrib/minizip code copies.
- Document unaffected systems where MiniZip ZIP creation is absent.
Public sources used
Generated from the cited source records. This long-tail analysis has not been individually reviewed by a named human.
Conservative CVE-to-ATT&CK context
These mappings and lookup hints may be relevant to the vulnerability behavior, CWE, affected product, or exposure path. Glexia-inferred context is not an official MITRE, ATT&CK, CWE, or CVE Program mapping.
ATT&CK lookup starting points
Use these exact CWE pages and searches to review the Glexia ATT&CK library from this CVE's weakness and description context.
CWE-190: Exact CWE lookup
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Open ATT&CK lookupCVE-2023-45853 mapping review
Open the CVE-to-ATT&CK bridge for reviewed, inferred, or future official mappings tied to this CVE.
Open ATT&CK lookup- Severity
- High
- CVSS
- 8.8 (3.1)
- Known Exploited
- No
- Published
Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
CNA and ADP enrichment extracted from CVE v5
These fields come from the CVE record and ADP containers, not from Glexia's Take. They preserve time-varying source decisions such as CISA SSVC, KEV status, CVSS metrics, and provider references.
SSVC decision data
CVSS vector scores
1 official scoreWe collect every scored CVSS vector available in the official CNA and ADP containers. When more than one version is present, the table keeps the source vectors side by side instead of collapsing them into the highest score.
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H2.85.9CISA-ADPVulnerability scoring details
Base CVSS 3.1 score
8.8HighVector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Vulnerability timeline
Timeline events are normalized from CVE metadata, CNA source timelines, ADP timelines, and KEV metadata when present.
- CVE publishedCVE Program
The CVE record was published.
- CVE reservedCVE Program
The CVE ID was reserved by the assigning CNA.
- CVE updatedCVE Program
The CVE record metadata indicates this as the latest update time.
ADP provider summaries
Source materials
- CVE List V5 sourceCVE List V5
- https://github.com/madler/zlib/pull/843CVE reference, mitre
- https://www.winimage.com/zLibDll/minizip.htmlCVE reference, mitre
- https://github.com/madler/zlib/blob/ac8f12c97d1afd9bafa9c710f827d40a407d3266/contrib/README.contrib#L1-L4CVE reference, mitre
- https://chromium.googlesource.com/chromium/src/+/de29dd6c7151d3cd37cb4cf0036800ddfb1d8b61CVE reference, mitre
- https://chromium.googlesource.com/chromium/src/+/d709fb23806858847131027da95ef4c548813356CVE reference, mitre
- [debian-lts-announce] 20231127 [SECURITY] [DLA 3670-1] minizip security updateCVE reference, mitre · mailing-list
- https://security.netapp.com/advisory/ntap-20231130-0009/CVE reference, mitre
- https://pypi.org/project/pyminizip/#historyCVE reference, mitre
- GLSA-202401-18CVE reference, mitre · vendor-advisory
- https://cert-portal.siemens.com/productcert/html/ssa-398330.htmlCVE reference, siemens-SADP
- https://cert-portal.siemens.com/productcert/html/ssa-769027.htmlCVE reference, siemens-SADP
- https://cert-portal.siemens.com/productcert/html/ssa-470355.htmlCVE reference, siemens-SADP
Products and packages named in the record
CWE details
CWE links open Glexia weakness intelligence pages with official CWE context, developer remediation guidance, and related CVE mappings.
Integer Overflow or Wraparound
Integer Overflow or Wraparound represents a recurring weakness pattern that can create exploitable paths when design, validation, or implementation controls are missing.