CVE-2017-20230: Nwclark Storable buffer overflow (CVSS 10.0)

Description

Storable versions before 3.05 for Perl has a stack overflow. The retrieve_hook function stored the length of the class name into a signed integer but in read operations treated the length as unsigned. This allowed an attacker to craft data that could trigger the overflow.

CVSS 3.1 breakdown

Attack vectorNetwork

Attack complexityLow

Privileges requiredNone

User interactionNone

ScopeChanged

ConfidentialityHigh

IntegrityHigh

AvailabilityHigh

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H

Affected products

Nwclark Storable< 3.05

Remediation

Fixed in

Nwclark Storable≥ 3.05

Patch & vendor advisories

https://github.com/Perl/perl5/commit/a258c17c6937f79529c8319a829310e09cdbd216.patch

References

https://github.com/Perl/perl5/commit/a258c17c6937f79529c8319a829310e09cdbd216.patchPatch
https://github.com/Perl/perl5/issues/15831Issue Tracking
https://metacpan.org/release/RURBAN/Storable-3.05/changesRelease Notes
https://www.nntp.perl.org/group/perl.perl5.porters/2017/01/msg242533.htmlThird Party Advisory
https://www.nntp.perl.org/group/perl.perl5.porters/2017/01/msg242703.htmlThird Party Advisory
http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2026/04/21/5Mailing List

Related CVEs

Recent high-severity vulnerabilities sharing a weakness type.

Frequently asked

Is CVE-2017-20230 being actively exploited?

CVE-2017-20230 is not in the CISA KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit probability is 0.64%.

How severe is CVE-2017-20230?

CVE-2017-20230 has a CVSS 3.1 base score of 10.0, rated critical. EPSS estimates a 0.64% probability of exploitation.

Which products are affected by CVE-2017-20230?

Affected products include Nwclark Storable.

How do I fix CVE-2017-20230?

Upgrade affected software to a fixed version, for example Nwclark Storable 3.05 or later, then confirm no affected versions remain in your inventory.

How Secuno handles this

Secuno correlates vulnerabilities like CVE-2017-20230 against the real software inventory on every managed device, every day. Rather than a static severity, each match is scored in context: exploit availability, EPSS, the asset's exposure, and business criticality decide where it lands in the queue. If an affected version is present anywhere across your portfolio, it surfaces automatically with a prioritised remediation path.

See how prioritisation works Book a demo