CVE-2023-50248 | CKAN out of memory error when submitting the dataset form with a specially-crafted field

CKAN is an open-source data management system for powering data hubs and data portals. Starting in version 2.0.0 and prior to versions 2.9.10 and 2.10.3, when submitting a POST request to the `/dataset/new` endpoint (including either the auth cookie or the `Authorization` header) with a specially-crafted field, an attacker can create an out-of-memory error in the hosting server. To trigger this error, the attacker need to have permissions to create or edit datasets. This vulnerability has been patched in CKAN 2.10.3 and 2.9.10.

Published: 2023-12-13 Last update: 2024-11-21 Assigner: [email protected] Source: [email protected]
NVD Status：Modified，CVE State: published
View at NVD, CVE.org, EUVD

CVE-2023-50248 is rated Low Risk (32.6/100): CVSS Medium severity, with low exploitation likelihood (EPSS 0.21%). Monitor for updates and reassess as exploit intelligence or EPSS changes.

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-2023-50248

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 2025-03-17 0.05% 0.21% +0.15%
2 2024-11-12 0.04% 0.05% +0.01%
3 2023-12-14 — 0.04% —

Full EPSS history (3 records total)

Common vulnerability scoring system (CVSS) metrics for CVE-2023-50248

CVSS metrics for this CVE.

Base score Version Severity Vector Exploitability Impact Score source
4.5 3.1 MEDIUM
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H 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:H)
They need powerful rights—admin, root, or similar—before this pays off.
User interaction (UI:R)
A real person has to do something—click, install, enable—otherwise it doesn’t land.
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:N)
Data isn’t meaningfully altered or forged.
Availability (A:H)
Could take the service down hard or make it unusable for people who depend on it.
 0.9 3.6 [email protected]
6.5 3.1 MEDIUM
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H 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:L)
A normal user session is enough; they don’t have to be admin.
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:N)
Data isn’t meaningfully altered or forged.
Availability (A:H)
Could take the service down hard or make it unusable for people who depend on it.
 2.8 3.6 [email protected]

Weakness enumeration for CVE-2023-50248

GitHub Security Advisory for CVE-2023-50248

GHSA-7fgc-89cx-w8j5 · Severity: medium · Ecosystem: pip — Out of memory error when submitting the dataset form with a specially-crafted field

Affected software / configurations for CVE-2023-50248

Vendor Product Version Raw CPE
okfn ckan >= 2.0, < 2.9.10 cpe:2.3:a:okfn:ckan:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
okfn ckan >= 2.10.0, < 2.10.3 cpe:2.3:a:okfn:ckan:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

References for CVE-2023-50248

cvelogic Threat Intelligence