CVE-2023-40889 json
Heap-based buffer overflow in ZBar
published 2023-08-29 3 y ago modified 2026-07-01 4 mo ago also GHSA-mhp6-jvpx-2p4m , PYSEC-2026-576 , EUVD-2023-2327
- cvss
- 9.8
- version 3.1, NVD
- cisa kev
- Not listed
- not in CISA's catalog
- epss
- 1.7%
- EPSS 1.7% chance of exploitation in 30 days, percentile 77%
- public exploits
- 0
- none known
Summary
A heap-based buffer overflow exists in the qr_reader_match_centers function of ZBar 0.23.90. Specially crafted QR codes may lead to information disclosure and/or arbitrary code execution. To trigger this vulnerability, an attacker can digitally input the malicious QR code, or prepare it to be physically scanned by the vulnerable scanner.
Patch / fix
- zbar Debian 12 0.23.92-7+deb12u1
- zbar Debian 14, Debian 13 0.23.92-9
debian advisories DEBIAN-CVE-2023-40889
- zbar Ubuntu Pro 16.04 LTS 0.10+doc-10ubuntu1+esm1
- zbar Ubuntu Pro 18.04 LTS 0.10+doc-10.1ubuntu0.1~esm1
- zbar Ubuntu Pro 20.04 LTS 0.23-1.3ubuntu0.1~esm1
- zbar Ubuntu Pro 22.04 LTS 0.23.92-4ubuntu0.1~esm1
ubuntu advisories UBUNTU-CVE-2023-40889
Ubuntu security data © Canonical Ltd., from https://github.com/canonical/ubuntu-security-notices via OSV; changed: normalised to fixed package versions per release. CC BY-SA 4.0
- zbar SLE Real Time 15 SP4, SLE Module for Package Hub 15 SP5, SLE Module for Desktop Applications 15 SP5 +2 more 0.23.1-150300.3.3.1
suse advisories SUSE-SU-2023:4948-1
- zbar openSUSE Tumbleweed 0.23.90-5.1
opensuse advisories openSUSE-SU-2024:13525-1
- zbar Alpine 3.24, Alpine 3.23, Alpine 3.22 +3 more 0.23.93-r0
alpine advisories ALPINE-CVE-2023-40889
Alpine secdb © Alpine Linux, from https://secdb.alpinelinux.org via OSV; changed: normalised to fixed package versions per release. CC BY-SA 4.0
Vendor advisories
What the vendors themselves say about their products: affected, fixed or not affected, and what to do.
red hat product security vex CVE-2023-40889 updated cvss 8.4
zbar: buffer overflow via crafted qr code
-
Red Hat All currently supported Red Hat productsnot affected: vulnerable code not present
Red Hat CSAF VEX © Red Hat, Inc., from https://security.access.redhat.com/data/csaf/v2/vex/; changed: reduced to product statuses and remediations. CC BY 4.0 · csaf
Exploit prediction
1.75% chance of exploitation in the next 30 days, higher than 77% of all scored CVEs (FIRST EPSS, 2026-11-08).
CVSS scores
| assigned by | version | score | vector |
|---|---|---|---|
| NVD | 3.1 | 9.8 | CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H |
| GitHub | 3.1 | 9.8 | CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H |
| OSV | 3.1 | 9.8 | CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H |
Affected packages
| ecosystem | package | affected | fixed in |
|---|---|---|---|
| pypi | zbar | <=0.23.90 |
no fix listed |
Classification
References
-
lists.fedoraproject.org
/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/25LZZQJGGZRPLKTRNRNOTAFQJIPS7WRP/
vendor-advisory
-
lists.fedoraproject.org
/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/DC7V5YCLCPB36J2KY6WLZCABFLBRB665/
vendor-advisory
- hackmd.io /%40cspl/B1ZkFZv23
-
lists.debian.org
/debian-lts-announce/2023/12/msg00001.html
mailing-list, web
- lists.fedoraproject.org /archives/list/package-announce@lists.fedoraproject.org/message/DC7V5YCLCPB36J2KY6WLZCABFLBRB665/
-
nvd.nist.gov
/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-40889
advisory
-
github.com
/mchehab/zbar
package
-
hackmd.io
/@cspl/B1ZkFZv23
web
-
lists.fedoraproject.org
/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/25LZZQJGGZRPLKTRNRNOTAFQJIPS7WRP
web
-
lists.fedoraproject.org
/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/DC7V5YCLCPB36J2KY6WLZCABFLBRB665
web
-
pypi.org
/project/zbar
package
-
github.com
/advisories/GHSA-mhp6-jvpx-2p4m
advisory
Sources
- CVE List CVE-2023-40889
- GitHub Advisory GHSA-mhp6-jvpx-2p4m
- NVD CVE-2023-40889
- OSV PYSEC-2026-576
Fencer Vulns keeps one entry per vulnerability: the CVE id wins, then GHSA, and records that alias each other are merged, except that two CVEs always keep separate entries. The same data is available as JSON.