CVE-2023-38252 is a vulnerability identified in the w3m text-based web browser component included in Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6. The flaw exists in the Strnew_size function within the Str.c source file, where an out-of-bounds read occurs when processing specially crafted HTML files. This vulnerability can be exploited by an attacker who can supply malicious HTML content to a user running w3m, causing the application to read memory outside the intended buffer bounds. The result is a denial of service condition, typically manifesting as a crash of the w3m process. The CVSS 3.1 base score is 4.7, reflecting medium severity, with the vector indicating local attack vector (AV:L), high attack complexity (AC:H), no privileges required (PR:N), user interaction required (UI:R), unchanged scope (S:U), no impact on confidentiality or integrity (C:N/I:N), and high impact on availability (A:H). The vulnerability does not allow code execution or data leakage but can disrupt services relying on w3m. There are no known exploits in the wild, and no official patches have been linked at the time of publication. Given that Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6 is an older distribution, many organizations may still run it in legacy environments, making awareness and mitigation important. The vulnerability is primarily a denial of service risk triggered by user interaction with malicious HTML content processed by w3m.

For European organizations, the primary impact of CVE-2023-38252 is the potential for denial of service on systems running Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6 with the w3m browser installed. This could disrupt operations where w3m is used for browsing or automated HTML processing, particularly in legacy or specialized environments such as embedded systems, network appliances, or administrative consoles. While the vulnerability does not compromise confidentiality or integrity, availability disruptions can affect business continuity, especially in critical infrastructure or government sectors. The requirement for local access and user interaction limits remote exploitation risk but does not eliminate insider threat or accidental exposure scenarios. Organizations relying on RHEL 6 in Europe should consider the risk in the context of their operational environment and the role of w3m. The lack of known exploits reduces immediate urgency but does not preclude future exploitation attempts.

1. Restrict access to systems running Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6 with w3m installed, especially limiting exposure to untrusted or external HTML content. 2. Educate users about the risks of opening untrusted HTML files with w3m to reduce accidental triggering of the vulnerability. 3. Monitor system logs and application behavior for crashes or abnormal terminations of w3m processes to detect potential exploitation attempts. 4. Where possible, disable or uninstall w3m if it is not required for operational purposes to eliminate the attack surface. 5. Apply vendor patches or updates as soon as they become available from Red Hat to remediate the vulnerability. 6. Consider upgrading from Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6 to a supported version to benefit from ongoing security updates and improved security posture. 7. Implement application whitelisting or sandboxing for w3m to contain potential crashes and limit impact on the host system.