CVE-2023-38408: The PKCS#11 feature in ssh-agent in OpenSSH before 9.3p2 has an insufficiently trustworthy search path, leading to remote code execution if
Noroxi assessment
Priority: This week (action score 63/100)
- Public proof-of-concept code exists (GitHub); there is no record of exploitation in the wild.
- Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days: 79.7% (FIRST EPSS); higher than 99.6% 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.
- According to CISA the attack is automatable: targets can be found by mass scanning.
- Fixed version: openssh (AlmaLinux:8) 8.0p1-19.el8_8, 8.0p1-33.el8_10; openssh-askpass (AlmaLinux:8) 8.0p1-33.el8_10, 8.0p1-19.el8_8; openssh-cavs (AlmaLinux:8) 8.0p1-33.el8_10, 8.0p1-19.el8_8.
- Mentioned 3 times in Turkish national cyber security advisories (siberguvenlik.gov.tr).
Don’t wait for the next maintenance window. Upgrade to openssh (AlmaLinux:8) 8.0p1-19.el8_8, 8.0p1-33.el8_10; openssh-askpass (AlmaLinux:8) 8.0p1-33.el8_10, 8.0p1-19.el8_8; openssh-cavs (AlmaLinux:8) 8.0p1-33.el8_10, 8.0p1-19.el8_8 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
The PKCS#11 feature in ssh-agent in OpenSSH before 9.3p2 has an insufficiently trustworthy search path, leading to remote code execution if an agent is forwarded to an attacker-controlled system. (Code in /usr/lib is not necessarily safe for loading into ssh-agent.) NOTE: this issue exists because of an incomplete fix for CVE-2016-10009.
- BDU:2023-03950
- ALSA-2023:4412
- ALSA-2023:4419
- ALSA-2026:69266
- DLA-3532-1
- openSUSE-SU-2024:13063-1
- RHSA-2023:4329
- RHSA-2023:4381
- RHSA-2023:4382
- RHSA-2023:4383
- RHSA-2023:4384
- RHSA-2023:4412
- RHSA-2023:4413
- RHSA-2023:4419
- RHSA-2023:4428
- RLSA-2023:4419
- SUSE-SU-2023:2940-1
- SUSE-SU-2023:2945-1
- SUSE-SU-2023:2946-1
- SUSE-SU-2023:2947-1
- Published
- Jul 20, 2023
- Updated
- Oct 15, 2026
- EPSS
- 79.7% · 99th percentile
- CWE
- CWE-428
Report tools
Action score
63
This week
Don’t wait for the next maintenance window.
- CVSS
- 39 / 40 · 9.8 / 10
- CISA KEV
- 0 / 30 · Not listed
- EPSS
- 24 / 30 · 79.7%
CISA SSVC decision
- Exploitation
- none
- Automatable
- yes
- Technical impact
- total
Vulnrichment: CISA's decision-tree inputs.
CNA vs NVD score
- NVD
- 9.8
- CNA · mitre
- 9.8
- agree
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
- Proof of concept exists, no weaponized module
- 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 |
|---|---|---|
| openbsd | openssh | cpe:2.3:a:openbsd:openssh |
| fedoraproject | fedora | cpe:2.3:o:fedoraproject:fedora |
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Run a port scanAffected versions
NVD version ranges (for catalog products). Add the product to your stack with a version and matching uses these.
- fedoraproject fedora37
- fedoraproject fedora38
- openbsd opensshbefore 9.3
- openbsd openssh9.3
Package-level exposure
OSV and GitHub Advisory data: ecosystem, package and range. SBOM matching uses this table.
| Ecosystem | Package | Affected range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| AlmaLinux:8 | openssh | before 8.0p1-19.el8_8 | 8.0p1-19.el8_8 |
| AlmaLinux:8 | openssh | before 8.0p1-33.el8_10 | 8.0p1-33.el8_10 |
| AlmaLinux:8 | openssh-askpass | before 8.0p1-33.el8_10 | 8.0p1-33.el8_10 |
| AlmaLinux:8 | openssh-askpass | before 8.0p1-19.el8_8 | 8.0p1-19.el8_8 |
| AlmaLinux:8 | openssh-cavs | before 8.0p1-33.el8_10 | 8.0p1-33.el8_10 |
| AlmaLinux:8 | openssh-cavs | before 8.0p1-19.el8_8 | 8.0p1-19.el8_8 |
| AlmaLinux:8 | openssh-clients | before 8.0p1-19.el8_8 | 8.0p1-19.el8_8 |
| AlmaLinux:8 | openssh-clients | before 8.0p1-33.el8_10 | 8.0p1-33.el8_10 |
| AlmaLinux:8 | openssh-keycat | before 8.0p1-33.el8_10 | 8.0p1-33.el8_10 |
| AlmaLinux:8 | openssh-keycat | before 8.0p1-19.el8_8 | 8.0p1-19.el8_8 |
| AlmaLinux:8 | openssh-ldap | before 8.0p1-33.el8_10 | 8.0p1-33.el8_10 |
| AlmaLinux:8 | openssh-ldap | before 8.0p1-19.el8_8 | 8.0p1-19.el8_8 |
| AlmaLinux:8 | openssh-server | before 8.0p1-33.el8_10 | 8.0p1-33.el8_10 |
| AlmaLinux:8 | openssh-server | before 8.0p1-19.el8_8 | 8.0p1-19.el8_8 |
| AlmaLinux:8 | pam_ssh_agent_auth | before 0.10.3-8.33.el8_10 | 0.10.3-8.33.el8_10 |
| AlmaLinux:8 | pam_ssh_agent_auth | before 0.10.3-7.19.el8_8 | 0.10.3-7.19.el8_8 |
| AlmaLinux:9 | openssh | before 8.7p1-30.el9_2 | 8.7p1-30.el9_2 |
| AlmaLinux:9 | openssh-askpass | before 8.7p1-30.el9_2 | 8.7p1-30.el9_2 |
| AlmaLinux:9 | openssh-clients | before 8.7p1-30.el9_2 | 8.7p1-30.el9_2 |
| AlmaLinux:9 | openssh-keycat | before 8.7p1-30.el9_2 | 8.7p1-30.el9_2 |
| AlmaLinux:9 | openssh-server | before 8.7p1-30.el9_2 | 8.7p1-30.el9_2 |
| AlmaLinux:9 | pam_ssh_agent_auth | before 0.10.4-5.30.el9_2 | 0.10.4-5.30.el9_2 |
| Alpine:v3.16 | openssh | before 9.0_p1-r4 | 9.0_p1-r4 |
| Alpine:v3.17 | openssh | before 9.1_p1-r4 | 9.1_p1-r4 |
+96
Same product
openbsd: all recordsOther highest-scoring records for the same primary product.
- CVE-2018-15473OpenSSH through 7.7 is prone to a user enumeration vulnerability due to not delaying bailout for an invalid authenticating user until after 60This week
- CVE-2016-6210sshd in OpenSSH before 7.3, when SHA256 or SHA512 are used for user password hashing, uses BLOWFISH hashing on a static password when the us60This week
- CVE-2023-25136OpenSSH server (sshd) 9.1 introduced a double-free vulnerability during options.kex_algorithms handling.53Plan
Published before and after this one in the same product
- ← EarlierCVE-2021-36368Mar 12, 2022 · An issue was discovered in OpenSSH before 8.9.15Monitor
- ← EarlierCVE-2023-28531Mar 17, 2023 · ssh-add in OpenSSH before 9.3 adds smartcard keys to ssh-agent without the intended per-hop destination constraints.40Plan
- Later →CVE-2023-51384Dec 18, 2023 · In ssh-agent in OpenSSH before 9.6, certain destination constraints can be incompletely applied.22Monitor
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 |
|---|---|---|
| almalinux:openssh | 8.7p1-30.el9_2 · AlmaLinux:9 | Package registry (OSV) |
| almalinux:openssh-askpass | 8.7p1-30.el9_2 · AlmaLinux:9 | Package registry (OSV) |
| almalinux:openssh-cavs | 8.0p1-19.el8_8 · AlmaLinux:8 | Package registry (OSV) |
| almalinux:openssh-clients | 8.7p1-30.el9_2 · AlmaLinux:9 | Package registry (OSV) |
| almalinux:openssh-keycat | 8.7p1-30.el9_2 · AlmaLinux:9 | Package registry (OSV) |
| almalinux:openssh-ldap | 8.0p1-19.el8_8 · AlmaLinux:8 | Package registry (OSV) |
| almalinux:openssh-server | 8.7p1-30.el9_2 · AlmaLinux:9 | Package registry (OSV) |
| almalinux:pam_ssh_agent_auth | 0.10.4-5.30.el9_2 · AlmaLinux:9 | Package registry (OSV) |
| alpine:openssh | 9.0_p1-r4 · Alpine:v3.16 | Package registry (OSV) |
| debian:openssh | 1:9.2p1-2+deb12u1 · Debian:12 | Package registry (OSV) |
| opensuse:openssh | 8.4p1-150300.3.22.1 · openSUSE:Leap Micro 5.3 | Package registry (OSV) |
| opensuse:openssh-askpass-gnome | 8.4p1-150300.3.22.1 · openSUSE:Leap 15.4 | Package registry (OSV) |
| red hat:openssh | 0:8.7p1-11.el9_0 · Red Hat:rhel_eus:9.0::baseos | Package registry (OSV) |
| red hat:openssh-askpass | 0:8.7p1-11.el9_0 · Red Hat:rhel_eus:9.0::appstream | Package registry (OSV) |
| red hat:openssh-askpass-debuginfo | 0:8.7p1-11.el9_0 · Red Hat:rhel_eus:9.0::appstream | Package registry (OSV) |
| red hat:openssh-clients | 0:8.7p1-11.el9_0 · Red Hat:rhel_eus:9.0::baseos | Package registry (OSV) |
| red hat:openssh-clients-debuginfo | 0:8.7p1-11.el9_0 · Red Hat:rhel_eus:9.0::appstream | Package registry (OSV) |
| red hat:openssh-debuginfo | 0:8.7p1-11.el9_0 · Red Hat:rhel_eus:9.0::appstream | Package registry (OSV) |
| red hat:openssh-debugsource | 0:8.7p1-11.el9_0 · Red Hat:rhel_eus:9.0::appstream | Package registry (OSV) |
| red hat:openssh-keycat | 0:8.7p1-11.el9_0 · Red Hat:rhel_eus:9.0::baseos | Package registry (OSV) |
| red hat:openssh-keycat-debuginfo | 0:8.7p1-11.el9_0 · Red Hat:rhel_eus:9.0::appstream | Package registry (OSV) |
| red hat:openssh-server-debuginfo | 0:8.7p1-11.el9_0 · Red Hat:rhel_eus:9.0::appstream | Package registry (OSV) |
| red hat:pam_ssh_agent_auth | 0:0.10.4-4.11.el9_0 · Red Hat:rhel_eus:9.0::appstream | Package registry (OSV) |
| red hat:pam_ssh_agent_auth-debuginfo | 0:0.10.4-4.11.el9_0 · Red Hat:rhel_eus:9.0::appstream | Package registry (OSV) |
| rocky linux:openssh | 0:8.0p1-19.el8_8 · Rocky Linux:8 | Package registry (OSV) |
| suse:openssh | 7.2p2-74.63.1 · SUSE:Linux Enterprise Server 12 SP2-BCL | Package registry (OSV) |
| suse:openssh | 8.4p1-150300.3.22.1 · SUSE:Linux Enterprise Micro 5.3 | Package registry (OSV) |
| suse:openssh-askpass-gnome | 7.2p2-74.63.1 · SUSE:Linux Enterprise Server 12 SP2-BCL | Package registry (OSV) |
| suse:openssh-askpass-gnome | 8.4p1-150300.3.22.1 · SUSE:Linux Enterprise Module for Desktop Applications 15 SP4 | Package registry (OSV) |
Exploit status
Proof of concept available
A public proof of concept or detection signature exists. Exploit knowledge is out there; don't delay patching.
Evidence
- Proof-of-concept repository on GitHub ×10
Noroxi does not host or link to exploit code. Metasploit module names and Nuclei template ids are shown (names, not code); Exploit-DB entries and PoC repositories are given as counts only.
| Source | Kind | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Proof-of-concept repository on GitHub | stars:53 | 2023-08-09 |
| Proof-of-concept repository on GitHub | stars:45 | 2023-11-09 |
| Proof-of-concept repository on GitHub | stars:3 | 2024-01-07 |
| Proof-of-concept repository on GitHub | stars:0 | 2024-02-16 |
| Proof-of-concept repository on GitHub | stars:1 | 2024-07-17 |
| Proof-of-concept repository on GitHub | stars:0 | 2024-10-17 |
| Proof-of-concept repository on GitHub | stars:7 | 2025-04-19 |
| Proof-of-concept repository on GitHub | stars:5 | 2025-07-16 |
| Proof-of-concept repository on GitHub | stars:0 | 2026-01-24 |
| Proof-of-concept repository on GitHub | stars:0 | 2026-04-12 |
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.
- Published
- First PoC+20 d
- TodayOct 30, 2026+1198 d
FIRST EPSS daily score; only changes of 0.01 or more are recorded (step chart).
Patch and commit links
Commit, PR and diff links among the references. A starting point for patch-diffing and variant hunting; fixes, not exploits.
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
No known public program.
Source: bounty-targets-data (public HackerOne, Bugcrowd, Intigriti, YesWeHack listings).
National notice (Türkiye Cybersecurity Directorate / USOM)
Official security notices citing this record; remediation advice is on the agency's page.
- TR-23-0499 · Sep 7, 2023(Multicluster Engine Güvenlik Zafiyeti)
- TR-23-0427 · Jul 28, 2023(Ubuntu Güvenlik Güncellemesi)
- TR-23-0414 · Jul 21, 2023(OpenSSH Güvenlik Bildirimi)
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
- high · data can be read
- Integrity
- high · data or configuration can be modified
- Availability
- high · the service can be disrupted
- Attack vector
- Network
- Attack complexity
- Low
- Privileges required
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality impact
- High
- Integrity impact
- High
- Availability impact
- High
Weakness class (CWE)
CWE-428 · Unquoted Search Path or ElementCVSS vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
nvd-primary
Attack context
MITRE CAPEC attack patterns and ATT&CK techniques for this weakness class (CWE). A starting point for detection rules and threat hunting.
MITRE has no CAPEC/ATT&CK mapping for this CWE.
Change log
- Fix✗ → ✓
For records you follow, these changes also arrive as notifications. →
References
Show all references (17 more)Show less
- www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2023/09/22/11
- www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2023/09/22/9
- blog.qualys.com/vulnerabilities-threat-research/2023/07/19/cve-2023-38408-remote-code-execution-in-opensshs-forwarded-ssh-agent
- github.com/openbsd/src/commit/7bc29a9d5cd697290aa056e94ecee6253d3425f8
- github.com/openbsd/src/commit/f03a4faa55c4ce0818324701dadbf91988d7351d
- github.com/openbsd/src/commit/f8f5a6b003981bb824329dc987d101977beda7ca
- lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2023/08/msg00021.html
- lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/CEBTJJINE2I3FHAUKKNQWMFGYMLSMWKQ/
- lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/RAXVQS6ZYTULFAK3TEJHRLKZALJS3AOU/
- news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36790196
- security.gentoo.org/glsa/202307-01
- security.netapp.com/advisory/ntap-20230803-0010/
- support.apple.com/kb/HT213940
- www.openssh.com/security.html
- www.openssh.com/txt/release-9.3p2
- www.vicarius.io/vsociety/posts/exploring-opensshs-agent-forwarding-rce-cve-2023-38408
- cert-portal.siemens.com/productcert/html/ssa-398330.html
Vendor advisories and official records. Exploit/PoC links are deliberately left out.