Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
CVE-2023-6246 is a glibc bug in syslog handling that can overflow heap memory. A local attacker may be able to crash an application or gain higher privileges if vulnerable conditions are present. Because glibc is a core Linux library, exposure depends heavily on distribution package status and vendor backports.
Executive priority
Prioritize remediation in standard Linux patch cycles, faster for multi-user servers, shared build hosts, and systems with untrusted local users. Do not treat it as internet-exposed by default, but do treat unpatched affected systems as potential privilege-escalation risk.
Technical view
The flaw is a heap-based buffer overflow in glibc __vsyslog_internal(), reachable through syslog() and vsyslog(). Sources describe impact when openlog() was not called, or ident is NULL, and argv[0] basename exceeds 1024 bytes. The bundle states glibc 2.36 and newer are affected, with Fedora affected and listed RHEL versions marked unaffected.
Likely exposure
Most relevant exposure is Linux systems using vulnerable glibc builds, especially distributions shipping glibc 2.36 or newer without the vendor fix. The provided bundle explicitly flags Fedora glibc as affected and listed Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6 through 9 glibc packages as unaffected.
Exploitation context
This is a local vulnerability, not a remote network entry point. Public technical advisories and write-ups exist, but the bundle does not show CISA KEV listing or confirmed active exploitation. Treat it as serious because successful exploitation could affect confidentiality, integrity, and availability.
Researcher notes
The important constraints are local access, glibc version, vendor backport status, and application behavior around openlog ident handling. The source bundle contains enough detail for exposure triage but not a universal fixed-version matrix across all Linux distributions.
Mitigation direction
- Inventory Linux systems and record glibc package versions from trusted package metadata.
- Apply distribution-provided glibc security updates where the vendor marks systems affected.
- Prioritize Fedora and any systems running glibc 2.36 or newer pending vendor confirmation.
- Check appliance and embedded vendor advisories for bundled glibc exposure.
- Restart affected services after glibc updates according to vendor guidance.
Validation and detection
- Confirm each system’s glibc build against the distribution security advisory.
- Verify whether the vendor marks the installed package affected, fixed, or unaffected.
- Identify privileged local programs that use syslog or vsyslog for risk assessment.
- Review EDR and crash telemetry for unusual local crashes in syslog-using programs.
- Track vendor advisories for NetApp, Siemens, Gentoo, Fedora, and Red Hat environments.
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-122: 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 lookupPrivilege behavior lookup
The CVE wording references privilege impact, so privilege escalation and authorization behavior review may help. This is a Glexia inferred lookup path, not an official MITRE, ATT&CK, or CVE Program mapping.
Open ATT&CK lookupCVE-2023-6246 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
- 8.4 (3.1)
- Known Exploited
- No
- Published
Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/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:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H2.55.9redhatVulnerability scoring details
Base CVSS 3.1 score
8.4HighVector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/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.
- Source timelineredhat
Reported to Red Hat.
- CVE reservedCVE Program
The CVE ID was reserved by the assigning CNA.
- Source timelineredhat
Made public.
- 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://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2023-6246CVE reference, redhat · vdb-entry, x_refsource_REDHAT
- RHBZ#2249053CVE reference, redhat · issue-tracking, x_refsource_REDHAT
- https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce@lists.fedoraproject.org/message/D2FIH77VHY3KCRROCXOT6L27WMZXSJ2G/CVE reference, redhat
- https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce@lists.fedoraproject.org/message/MWQ6BZJ6CV5UAW4VZSKJ6TO4KIW2KWAQ/CVE reference, redhat
- https://security.gentoo.org/glsa/202402-01CVE reference, redhat
- https://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2024/01/30/6CVE reference, redhat
- https://www.qualys.com/2024/01/30/cve-2023-6246/syslog.txtCVE reference, redhat
- https://security.netapp.com/advisory/ntap-20240216-0007/CVE reference, redhat
- https://cert-portal.siemens.com/productcert/html/ssa-082556.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.
Heap-based Buffer Overflow
Heap-based Buffer Overflow represents a recurring weakness pattern that can create exploitable paths when design, validation, or implementation controls are missing.