Skip to main content

CVE-2023-48951: n/a in n/a

High
VulnerabilityCVE-2023-48951cvecve-2023-48951
Published: Wed Nov 29 2023 (11/29/2023, 00:00:00 UTC)
Source: CVE Database V5
Vendor/Project: n/a
Product: n/a

Description

An issue in the box_equal function in openlink virtuoso-opensource v7.2.11 allows attackers to cause a Denial of Service (DoS) after running a SELECT statement.

AI-Powered Analysis

AILast updated: 07/07/2025, 10:28:59 UTC

Technical Analysis

CVE-2023-48951 is a high-severity vulnerability identified in the box_equal function of the openlink Virtuoso Open Source version 7.2.11. This vulnerability allows an attacker to cause a Denial of Service (DoS) condition by executing a crafted SELECT statement. The root cause is related to improper handling of certain inputs within the box_equal function, leading to resource exhaustion or application crash, which aligns with CWE-400 (Uncontrolled Resource Consumption). The vulnerability has a CVSS 3.1 base score of 8.8, indicating a high impact with network attack vector (AV:N), low attack complexity (AC:L), no privileges required (PR:N), but requires user interaction (UI:R). The scope is unchanged (S:U), and the impact is high on confidentiality, integrity, and availability (C:H/I:H/A:H). Although no known exploits are currently reported in the wild and no patches have been linked yet, the vulnerability poses a significant risk due to its ease of exploitation and potential to disrupt services relying on Virtuoso Open Source databases. Virtuoso is a multi-model data server often used for RDF data, linked data, and semantic web applications, which are critical in data integration and querying in various sectors.

Potential Impact

For European organizations, the impact of this vulnerability can be substantial, especially for those relying on Virtuoso Open Source for data management, semantic web services, or linked data applications. A successful DoS attack could disrupt critical data services, leading to downtime, loss of availability, and potential cascading effects on dependent applications and services. This could affect sectors such as research institutions, public sector data portals, and enterprises using Virtuoso for complex data queries. The high impact on confidentiality and integrity suggests that exploitation might also lead to unauthorized data exposure or corruption, although the primary reported effect is DoS. Given the network-based attack vector and no privilege requirements, attackers can remotely trigger the vulnerability, increasing the risk of widespread disruption. European organizations with public-facing Virtuoso endpoints or those integrated into larger data ecosystems are particularly vulnerable to service outages and potential reputational damage.

Mitigation Recommendations

Organizations should immediately audit their environments to identify any deployments of Virtuoso Open Source, particularly version 7.2.11. Since no official patches are currently linked, mitigation should focus on limiting exposure: restrict network access to Virtuoso services to trusted IPs, implement Web Application Firewalls (WAFs) with rules to detect and block suspicious SELECT queries, and monitor logs for unusual query patterns indicative of exploitation attempts. Additionally, consider disabling or restricting the use of the box_equal function if feasible or applying input validation and query throttling to prevent resource exhaustion. Organizations should subscribe to vendor advisories and CVE databases to apply patches promptly once available. Implementing robust incident response plans to quickly detect and respond to DoS conditions will also reduce potential downtime. Finally, educating developers and database administrators about this vulnerability will help in early detection and prevention.

Need more detailed analysis?Get Pro

Technical Details

Data Version
5.1
Assigner Short Name
mitre
Date Reserved
2023-11-20T00:00:00.000Z
Cvss Version
3.1
State
PUBLISHED

Threat ID: 6841a29c182aa0cae2e196cd

Added to database: 6/5/2025, 1:58:52 PM

Last enriched: 7/7/2025, 10:28:59 AM

Last updated: 8/3/2025, 2:30:09 PM

Views: 10

Actions

PRO

Updates to AI analysis are available only with a Pro account. Contact root@offseq.com for access.

Please log in to the Console to use AI analysis features.

Need enhanced features?

Contact root@offseq.com for Pro access with improved analysis and higher rate limits.

Latest Threats