Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
CVE-2023-46218 lets a malicious HTTP server trick curl into storing overly broad cookies. Those cookies could then be sent to unrelated domains, creating confidentiality and integrity risk where curl handles sensitive sessions or automated cross-domain requests.
Executive priority
Treat as a moderate-priority remediation item. It is not presented as actively exploited, but it can cross domain trust boundaries and may affect common infrastructure components through curl packages.
Technical view
curl's Public Suffix List domain check mishandled mixed-case cookie domains. A server could set a cookie for a public suffix variant such as mixed-case co.UK when the host was lowercase, bypassing normal super-cookie restrictions. The issue is CWE-178 and has CVSS 6.5.
Likely exposure
Exposure is most likely in systems using affected curl versions with cookie handling against untrusted or semi-trusted HTTP servers. Downstream exposure may exist through operating system packages and vendor products referenced by Debian, Fedora, NetApp, and Siemens advisories.
Exploitation context
The bundle does not show CISA KEV listing or cited evidence of active exploitation. Exploitation requires a malicious HTTP server that can get a vulnerable curl client to accept cookies, then rely on later requests where those cookies are sent more broadly than intended.
Researcher notes
The key condition is cookie processing combined with PSL validation. Focus validation on affected curl versions, whether PSL support and cookie storage are used, and whether clients interact with attacker-controlled or untrusted HTTP origins. Do not assume all bundled vendor products are affected without their advisories.
Mitigation direction
- Update curl using official curl or operating system vendor guidance.
- Apply Debian, Fedora, NetApp, or Siemens fixes where those products are in use.
- Review automated curl jobs that accept cookies from untrusted HTTP services.
- Disable or avoid cookie persistence where it is not operationally required.
Validation and detection
- Inventory installed curl versions and packaged dependencies across servers, containers, and appliances.
- Identify scripts or applications that use curl cookie jars or persistent cookies.
- Check vendor advisories for product-specific affected versions and fixed releases.
- Confirm updated packages are deployed through standard vulnerability scanning or package inventory.
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-178: Exact CWE lookup
Use the exact CWE identifier as the starting point before reviewing related ATT&CK behavior. Open the exact CWE lookup page first, then review the ATT&CK searches from that MITRE weakness context. This is a Glexia lookup hint, not an official ATT&CK mapping.
Open ATT&CK lookupCVE-2023-46218 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
- Medium
- CVSS
- 6.5 (3.1)
- Known Exploited
- No
- Published
Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:N
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:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:N3.92.5CISA-ADPVulnerability scoring details
Base CVSS 3.1 score
6.5MediumVector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:N
Vulnerability timeline
Timeline events are normalized from CVE metadata, CNA source timelines, ADP timelines, and KEV metadata when present.
- CVE reservedCVE Program
The CVE ID was reserved by the assigning CNA.
- CVE publishedCVE Program
The CVE record was published.
- 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://hackerone.com/reports/2212193CVE reference, hackerone
- https://curl.se/docs/CVE-2023-46218.htmlCVE reference, hackerone
- https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce@lists.fedoraproject.org/message/3ZX3VW67N4ACRAPMV2QS2LVYGD7H2MVE/CVE reference, hackerone
- https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce@lists.fedoraproject.org/message/UOGXU25FMMT2X6UUITQ7EZZYMJ42YWWD/CVE reference, hackerone
- https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2023/12/msg00015.htmlCVE reference, hackerone
- https://www.debian.org/security/2023/dsa-5587CVE reference, hackerone
- https://security.netapp.com/advisory/ntap-20240125-0007/CVE reference, hackerone
- https://cert-portal.siemens.com/productcert/html/ssa-093430.htmlCVE reference, siemens-SADP
- https://cert-portal.siemens.com/productcert/html/ssa-331112.htmlCVE reference, siemens-SADP
- https://cert-portal.siemens.com/productcert/html/ssa-082556.htmlCVE reference, siemens-SADP
- https://cert-portal.siemens.com/productcert/html/ssa-202008.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.
Improper Handling of Case Sensitivity
Improper Handling of Case Sensitivity represents a recurring weakness pattern that can create exploitable paths when design, validation, or implementation controls are missing.