Cloudanix VulnDB

CVE-2022-23803

High · 7.8

CVSS

7.8

EPSS

1.7%

Published

Feb 16, 2022

CISA due date

—

Cloudanix analysis

Next patch cycle SSVC: Track

Opening a specially made design file in certain versions of the software can let an attacker take over the computer.

Exploit Available
Exploitation
Requires User Interaction
Attacker needs
User Interaction
Complexity
Low
Impact
Full Compromise
Component
Application
Class
Buffer Overflow
Remediation
Upgrade
Effort
Medium
Patch risk
Low

What it actually does

A stack-based buffer overflow in the Gerber Viewer gerber and excellon ReadXYCoord coordinate parsing functionality allows specially-crafted files to trigger code execution.

Why it matters to the business

Attackers can gain code execution on developer workstations that process untrusted design files, risking theft of intellectual property or supply-chain compromise; the issue affects widely used open-source packages with available fixes.

How an attack unfolds

An attacker creates a malicious gerber or excellon file containing oversized coordinate values that overflow the stack buffer during parsing; when a victim opens the file in the vulnerable Gerber Viewer the overflow is triggered and attacker-supplied code runs.

How to fix it

Upgrade affected packages to the listed fixed versions: babelouest/rhonabwy (GIT) b4c2923a1ba4fabf9b55a89244127e153a3e549b, rhonabwy (Debian:11) 0.9.13-3+deb11u2, rhonabwy (Debian:12) 1.1.5-1, rhonabwy (Debian:13) 1.1.5-1.

How to confirm the fix worked

Confirm the installed package version matches or exceeds the fixed version for each distribution; re-test file parsing with known-good coordinate data.

Typical attack path

  1. Craft a gerber or excellon file with malformed coordinate data
  2. Distribute the file via email, download, or shared repository
  3. Victim opens the file in the vulnerable Gerber Viewer
  4. Stack buffer overflow executes attacker-controlled code

How to detect it

Review file-access and process-creation logs around Gerber Viewer usage for unexpected crashes or execution of unknown binaries after opening design files.

What your security team should do

  • Immediately upgrade all listed packages to the provided fixed versions
  • Block untrusted gerber/excellon files from entering build or review pipelines until patched
  • Monitor EPSS trend and exploit availability for any change in urgency

The record

A stack-based buffer overflow vulnerability exists in the Gerber Viewer gerber and excellon ReadXYCoord coordinate parsing functionality of KiCad EDA 6.0.1 and master commit de006fc010. A specially-crafted gerber or excellon file can lead to code execution. An attacker can provide a malicious file to trigger this vulnerability.

Affected packages

Ecosystem Package Introduced Fixed
Debian:10 kicad 0 5.0.2+dfsg1-1+deb10u1
Debian:11 kicad 0 5.1.9+dfsg1-1+deb11u1
Debian:12 kicad 0 6.0.2+dfsg-1
Debian:13 kicad 0 6.0.2+dfsg-1
Debian:9 kicad 0 4.0.5+dfsg1-4+deb9u1
Mageia:8 kicad 0 5.1.12-1.1.mga8
Ubuntu:16.04:LTS kicad 0 No fix
Ubuntu:20.04:LTS kicad 0 No fix
Ubuntu:22.04:LTS kicad 0 No fix
Ubuntu:24.04:LTS kicad 0 No fix
Ubuntu:24.10 kicad 0 No fix
Ubuntu:Pro:16.04:LTS kicad 0 No fix
Ubuntu:Pro:18.04:LTS kicad 0 No fix
Ubuntu:Pro:18.04:LTS kicad 0 4.0.7+dfsg1-1ubuntu2+esm1
Ubuntu:Pro:20.04:LTS kicad 0 5.1.5+dfsg1-2ubuntu0.1~esm1

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