CVE-2023-37463: Quadratic complexity bugs may lead to a denial of service
Noroxi assessment
Priority: Monitor (action score 30/100)
- The sources we track (CISA KEV, Exploit-DB, Metasploit, Nuclei, GitHub) show no public exploit code or exploitation in the wild.
- Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days: 0.69% (FIRST EPSS); higher than 52.9% of all records.
- Anyone who can reach it over the internet can trigger it. No account or password is required. No user action is required. No special conditions are required; it is repeatable.
- Fixed version: github cmark-gfm 0.29.0.gfm.12.
Low priority for now. Upgrade to github cmark-gfm 0.29.0.gfm.12 or later.
Generated automatically from the record's data: CVSS (NVD and CNA), CISA KEV and SSVC, FIRST EPSS, exploit sources, fixed versions. How we calculate it
Primary sources: NVD · CVE.org · FIRST EPSS
cmark-gfm is an extended version of the C reference implementation of CommonMark, a rationalized version of Markdown syntax with a spec. Three polynomial time complexity issues in cmark-gfm may lead to unbounded resource exhaustion and subsequent denial of service. These vulnerabilities have been patched in 0.29.0.gfm.12.
- Published
- Jul 13, 2023
- Updated
- Jun 17, 2026
- EPSS
- 0.6% · 52th percentile
- CWE
- CWE-400
Report tools
Action score
30
Monitor
Low priority for now.
- CVSS
- 30 / 40 · 7.5 / 10
- CISA KEV
- 0 / 30 · Not listed
- EPSS
- 0 / 30 · 0.6%
CISA SSVC decision
- Exploitation
- proof of concept
- Automatable
- no
- Technical impact
- partial
Vulnrichment: CISA's decision-tree inputs.
CNA vs NVD score
- NVD
- 7.5
- CNA · GitHub_M
- 6.4
- 1.1 point gap
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:H
The score given by the assigning authority versus NVD’s independent score. A gap means the severity is contested.
Get told when this record changes
- Not in KEV: no record of exploitation in the wild
- No public exploit code on record
- A fix has been released
If any of these changes, we'll tell you in the daily email digest.
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Noroxi analysis
What does it mean in your environment?
The assessment above is generated automatically from the record's data; it doesn't know your environment. Our team verifies on your systems whether this vulnerability is actually exploitable and which mitigation is enough.
We use this product, ask for helpAffected systems
Is your version affected?
Pick the product and type the version you run. It's compared with this record's version ranges in your browser; the version isn't sent anywhere.
| Vendor | Product | CPE |
|---|---|---|
| github | cmark-gfm | cpe:2.3:a:github:cmark-gfm |
Affected versions
NVD version ranges (for catalog products). Add the product to your stack with a version and matching uses these.
- github cmark-gfmbefore 0.29.0.gfm.12
Versions reported by the vendor
Affected version ranges reported by the assigning authority (GitHub_M). Independent of NVD's CPE analysis and usually ahead of it.
github cmark-gfm
- < 0.29.0.gfm.12affected
Package-level exposure
OSV and GitHub Advisory data: ecosystem, package and range. SBOM matching uses this table.
| Ecosystem | Package | Affected range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| Debian:12 | cmark-gfm | from 0 | — |
| Debian:12 | python-cmarkgfm | from 0 | — |
| Debian:12 | r-cran-commonmark | from 0 | — |
| Debian:12 | ruby-commonmarker | from 0 | — |
| Debian:13 | cmark-gfm | before 0.29.0.gfm.13-1 | 0.29.0.gfm.13-1 |
| Debian:13 | python-cmarkgfm | before 2024.11.20-1 | 2024.11.20-1 |
| Debian:13 | r-cran-commonmark | before 1.9.1-1 | 1.9.1-1 |
| Debian:13 | ruby-commonmarker | before 0.23.10-1 | 0.23.10-1 |
| openSUSE:Tumbleweed | python-cmarkgfm | before 2025.10.22-1.4 | 2025.10.22-1.4 |
Same product
github: all recordsOther highest-scoring records for the same primary product.
- CVE-2022-24724Integer overflow in table parsing extension leads to heap memory corruption40Plan
- CVE-2024-22051CommonMarker Integer Overflow Vulnerability39Monitor
- CVE-2023-26485Quadratic complexity may lead to a denial of service in cmark-gfm30Monitor
Published before and after this one in the same product
- ← EarlierCVE-2023-22485Jan 23, 2023 · cmark-gfm out-of-bounds read in validate_protocol21Monitor
- ← EarlierCVE-2023-22486Jan 26, 2023 · cmark-gfm Quadratic complexity bug in handle_close_bracket may lead to a denial of service30Monitor
- ← EarlierCVE-2023-24824Mar 31, 2023 · Quadratic complexity may lead to a denial of service in cmark-gfm30Monitor
Remediation
Which version to upgrade to
Fix versions compiled from the vendor, package registries and Microsoft. Verify the vendor's note before upgrading.
| Product / package | Fixed version | Source |
|---|---|---|
| github cmark-gfm | 0.29.0.gfm.12 · description | Vendor (CNA) |
| debian:cmark-gfm | 0.29.0.gfm.13-1 · Debian:13 | Package registry (OSV) |
| debian:python-cmarkgfm | 2024.11.20-1 · Debian:13 | Package registry (OSV) |
| debian:r-cran-commonmark | 1.9.1-1 · Debian:13 | Package registry (OSV) |
| debian:ruby-commonmarker | 0.23.10-1 · Debian:13 | Package registry (OSV) |
| opensuse:python-cmarkgfm | 2025.10.22-1.4 · openSUSE:Tumbleweed | Package registry (OSV) |
Exploit status
No known public exploit
No public exploit has been observed yet. That doesn't mean you're safe, only that the bar is a little higher.
Research context
For pentesters and researchers: attack profile, score disagreement, timeline, patch commits, credits, variant and chain candidates, bug bounty scope. All derived from existing data; no exploit code.
Timeline
From publication to today: proof of concept, Metasploit module, CISA KEV and fix record. Dates are as reported by the sources.
No dated events beyond publication.
No history yet (it accumulates with the daily EPSS job).
Patch and commit links
Commit, PR and diff links among the references. A starting point for patch-diffing and variant hunting; fixes, not exploits.
No commit or PR link among the references.
Credits
All researchersFinders, reporters and analysts named in the CNA record. Click a name for that researcher’s other records.
No credits in the CNA record.
Variant candidates
Same product, same weakness class, within 18 months. If the patch missed the root cause, the sibling bug is here.
No nightly-computed relations.
Chain candidates
An authentication bypass and a privilege-requiring bug in the same product, published close together: combined they may become an unauthenticated path.
—
Bug bounty scope
The product’s vendor appears in a public program. Matched by name; verify the scope text in the program.
Technical details
Attack conditions
- Anyone who can reach it over the internet can trigger it.
- No account or password is required.
- No user action is required.
- No special conditions are required; it is repeatable.
If successful
- Confidentiality
- none
- Integrity
- none
- Availability
- high · the service can be disrupted
- Attack vector
- Network
- Attack complexity
- Low
- Privileges required
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality impact
- None
- Integrity impact
- None
- Availability impact
- High
Weakness class (CWE)
CWE-400 · Uncontrolled Resource ConsumptionCVSS vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
nvd-primary
Root cause
Code that parses nested structures sets no depth or size limit. A small input can turn into a disproportionate processing load.
The bug in code
The whole CWE-400 classA representative example of this vulnerability class. Not the vendor's source code; it shows the faulty pattern and its fix.
Vulnerable
function expand(node) {
return node.children.map(expand);
}Fixed
const MAX_DEPTH = 32;
function expand(node, depth = 0) {
if (depth > MAX_DEPTH) throw new Error("too deep");
return node.children.map((c) => expand(c, depth + 1));
}Attack context
MITRE CAPEC attack patterns and ATT&CK techniques for this weakness class (CWE). A starting point for detection rules and threat hunting.
Change log
- Fix✗ → ✓
For records you follow, these changes also arrive as notifications. →
References
Vendor advisories and official records. Exploit/PoC links are deliberately left out.