CVE-2023-4809 | pf incorrectly handles multiple IPv6 fragment headers

In pf packet processing with a 'scrub fragment reassemble' rule, a packet containing multiple IPv6 fragment headers would be reassembled, and then immediately processed. That is, a packet with multiple fragment extension headers would not be recognized as the correct ultimate payload. Instead a packet with multiple IPv6 fragment headers would unexpectedly be interpreted as a fragmented packet, rather than as whatever the real payload is. As a result, IPv6 fragments may bypass pf firewall rules written on the assumption all fragments have been reassembled and, as a result, be forwarded or processed by the host.

Published: 2023-09-06 Last update: 2026-06-17 Assigner: [email protected] Source: [email protected]

Conclusion & alert: CVE-2023-4809 is rated Moderate Risk (47/100): CVSS High severity, with low exploitation likelihood (EPSS 0.68%). Mandatory action: Review affected assets and schedule remediation.

Risk is dynamic; we continuously reassess and refresh what is shown on this page as upstream context changes.

Exploit prediction scoring system (EPSS) score for CVE-2023-4809

EPSS lead: Daily EPSS estimates relative likelihood of exploitation; percentile ranks this CVE among scored vulnerabilities (higher = more severe relative rank).

# Date Old EPSS score New EPSS score Delta (New - Old)
1 2026-06-15 0.31% 0.68% +0.37%
2 2026-06-01 0.36% 0.31% -0.05%
3 2026-03-25 0.36%

Full EPSS history (18 records total)

Common vulnerability scoring system (CVSS) metrics for CVE-2023-4809

CVSS metrics for this CVE.

Base score Version Severity Vector Exploitability Impact Score source
7.5 3.1 HIGH
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N Click to expand
Attack vector (AV:N)
Could be attacked over the internet or any normal routed network—not just someone sitting at the machine.
Attack complexity (AC:L)
Once they can reach the bug, pulling it off is straightforward—no weird race conditions or rare setup.
Privileges required (PR:N)
No account or special rights needed—anonymous or random user is enough.
User interaction (UI:N)
Nobody has to click “OK” or open a trap file; it can work without a victim helping.
Scope (S:U)
Damage stays in the same “trust bubble” as the broken component—no big spill into unrelated systems.
Confidentiality (C:N)
Doesn’t really leak secrets in a meaningful way.
Integrity (I:H)
They could widely tamper with or forge data—trust in the data is badly hurt.
Availability (A:N)
Service keeps running; no real outage angle.
3.9 3.6 [email protected]

Weakness enumeration for CVE-2023-4809

Affected software / configurations for CVE-2023-4809

Vendor Product Version Raw CPE
freebsd freebsd < 12.4 cpe:2.3:o:freebsd:freebsd:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
freebsd freebsd >= 13.0, < 13.2 cpe:2.3:o:freebsd:freebsd:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
freebsd freebsd 12.4 cpe:2.3:o:freebsd:freebsd:12.4:-:*:*:*:*:*:*
freebsd freebsd 12.4 cpe:2.3:o:freebsd:freebsd:12.4:p1:*:*:*:*:*:*
freebsd freebsd 12.4 cpe:2.3:o:freebsd:freebsd:12.4:p2:*:*:*:*:*:*
freebsd freebsd 12.4 cpe:2.3:o:freebsd:freebsd:12.4:p3:*:*:*:*:*:*
freebsd freebsd 12.4 cpe:2.3:o:freebsd:freebsd:12.4:p4:*:*:*:*:*:*
freebsd freebsd 12.4 cpe:2.3:o:freebsd:freebsd:12.4:rc2-p1:*:*:*:*:*:*
freebsd freebsd 12.4 cpe:2.3:o:freebsd:freebsd:12.4:rc2-p2:*:*:*:*:*:*
freebsd freebsd 13.2 cpe:2.3:o:freebsd:freebsd:13.2:-:*:*:*:*:*:*
freebsd freebsd 13.2 cpe:2.3:o:freebsd:freebsd:13.2:p1:*:*:*:*:*:*
freebsd freebsd 13.2 cpe:2.3:o:freebsd:freebsd:13.2:p2:*:*:*:*:*:*

References for CVE-2023-4809

cvelogic Threat Intelligence