CVE-2023-6992 | Memory corruption issues is Cloudflare zlib implementation

Cloudflare version of zlib library was found to be vulnerable to memory corruption issues affecting the deflation algorithm implementation (deflate.c). The issues resulted from improper input validation and heap-based buffer overflow. A local attacker could exploit the problem during compression using a crafted malicious file potentially leading to denial of service of the software. Patches: The issue has been patched in commit 8352d10 https://github.com/cloudflare/zlib/commit/8352d108c05db1bdc5ac3bdf834dad641694c13c . The upstream repository is not affected.

Published: 2024-01-04 Last update: 2024-11-21 Assigner: [email protected] Source: [email protected]
NVD Status：Modified，CVE State: published
View at NVD, CVE.org, EUVD

CVE-2023-6992 is rated Low Risk (17.4/100): CVSS Medium severity, with low exploitation likelihood (EPSS 0.02%). Low composite risk—no urgent action required; patch on your normal maintenance cycle and revisit priority if CVSS or EPSS increases.

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-2023-6992

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 2025-11-21 0.06% 0.02% -0.04%
2 2025-11-18 0.03% 0.06% +0.02%
3 2025-04-15 — 0.03% —

Full EPSS history (5 records total)

Common vulnerability scoring system (CVSS) metrics for CVE-2023-6992

CVSS metrics for this CVE.

Base score Version Severity Vector Exploitability Impact Score source
4.0 3.1 MEDIUM
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:L Click to expand
Attack vector (AV:L)
They already need access on the box, or another person has to do something wrong; it’s not a remote drive-by.
Attack complexity (AC:H)
Even with access, the exploit needs extra luck, timing, or a fussy environment to actually work.
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:L)
Attackers could change some data, but it’s limited—not everything goes.
Availability (A:L)
Might cause slowdowns, glitches, or partial disruption—not a full brick.
 1.4 2.5 [email protected]
5.5 3.1 MEDIUM
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H Click to expand
Attack vector (AV:L)
They already need access on the box, or another person has to do something wrong; it’s not a remote drive-by.
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.
 1.8 3.6 [email protected]

Weakness enumeration for CVE-2023-6992

OS Trackers for CVE-2023-6992

vendor priority summary link
alpine — CVE-2023-6992: 1 source package rows (zlib); 30 state rows across 8 repos (3.17-main, 3.18-main, 3.19-main, 3.20-main, 3.21-main, 3.22-main, 3.23-main, edge-main); fixed 28, open 2. https://security.alpinelinux.org/vuln/CVE-2023-6992

Affected software / configurations for CVE-2023-6992

Vendor Product Version Raw CPE
cloudflare zlib < 2023-11-16 cpe:2.3:a:cloudflare:zlib:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

References for CVE-2023-6992

cvelogic Threat Intelligence