CyberSecBulletin
CVE-2023-49937NVD status: Modified

Slurm: Double Free

Published Updated By the CyberSecBulletin desk

CVE-2023-49937 is a critical-severity double free vulnerability in Slurm from SchedMD, with a CVSS 3.1 base score of 9.8 out of 10. It can be exploited remotely over the network by an unauthenticated attacker, without any action from a user. The record lists versions 22.05.12, 23.02.7 as the first without the flaw, so updating Slurm to one of those releases or later removes the exposure. There is no confirmed exploitation so far. EPSS estimates a 1.38% chance of exploitation within 30 days, higher than 72% of scored CVEs.

Patch this week

Critical severity: a successful attack would have severe impact.

What to do

  1. Update Slurm to 22.05.12 or 23.02.7, whichever matches your release line, or a later version.
  2. Read the advisory on lists.schedmd.com for workarounds and exact fixed builds.
  3. Until you can update, restrict network access to the affected service so it is not reachable from untrusted networks.

Affected products and versions

VendorProductAffected versionsFixed in
SchedmdSlurm22.05 up to, but not including, 22.05.12; 23.02 up to, but not including, 23.02.7; 23.1122.05.12, 23.02.7

Version data comes from NVD's product matching. Confirm against the vendor advisory before deciding you are unaffected.

How the severity score breaks down

Attack vector
NetworkCan be exploited remotely over a network, including the internet.
Attack complexity
LowNo special conditions are needed; the attack works reliably.
Privileges required
NoneNo account or login is needed.
User interaction
NoneNo action by a victim is required.
Scope
UnchangedImpact stays within the vulnerable component.
Confidentiality
HighAll data handled by the component can be read.
Integrity
HighData or code can be modified at will.
Availability
HighThe component can be taken down completely.

Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H. Scored by NVD.

Official description

An issue was discovered in SchedMD Slurm 22.05.x, 23.02.x, and 23.11.x. Because of a double free, attackers can cause a denial of service or possibly execute arbitrary code. The fixed versions are 22.05.11, 23.02.7, and 23.11.1.

Source: the CVE record as published by its numbering authority, via NVD and CVE.org.

The underlying weakness: Double Free

The product calls free() twice on the same memory address.

How developers prevent this class of flaw

  • Choose a language that provides automatic memory management.
  • Ensure that each allocation is freed only once. After freeing a chunk, set the pointer to NULL to ensure the pointer cannot be freed again. In complicated error conditions, be sure that clean-up routines respect the state of allocation properly. If the language is object oriented, ensure that object destructors delete each chunk of memory only once.
  • Use a static analysis tool to find double free instances.

More Double Free vulnerabilities (CWE-415)

Timeline

  1. CVE record published.
  2. Record last changed materially (score, affected products, status or references).

References

Other vulnerabilities in Slurm

All Slurm vulnerabilities

Recent Double Free vulnerabilities

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