How severe is CVE-2017-7523?

CVE-2017-7523 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 7.5, rated high severity. It is exploitable over network with low attack complexity, requires no privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is none, integrity none, and availability high.

Is CVE-2017-7523 being actively exploited?

It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 3% (84th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

What products are affected by CVE-2017-7523?

CVE-2017-7523 primarily affects Cygwin. In total, 32 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.

How do I fix CVE-2017-7523?

Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround. Given its high severity, prioritise patching exposed systems.

When was CVE-2017-7523 published?

CVE-2017-7523 was published on 2017-07-21 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

CVE-2017-7523

CVE-2017-7523 is a high-severity vulnerability in Cygwin with a CVSS 3.x base score of 7.5. It is not currently listed as actively exploited by CISA, and its EPSS exploit-prediction score is low. The underlying weakness is classified as CWE-119.

Key facts

Severity: High (CVSS 3.x base score 7.5)
CVSS v2: 5.0
EPSS exploit prediction: 3% (84th percentile)
Actively exploited: Not listed in CISA KEV
Weakness: CWE-119
Affected product: Cygwin
Published: 2017-07-21
Last modified: 2026-06-17

Description

Cygwin versions 1.7.2 up to and including 1.8.0 are vulnerable to buffer overflow vulnerability in wcsxfrm/wcsxfrm_l functions resulting into denial-of-service by crashing the process or potential hijack of the process running with administrative privileges triggered by specially crafted input string.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2017-7523?: Cygwin versions 1.7.2 up to and including 1.8.0 are vulnerable to buffer overflow vulnerability in wcsxfrm/wcsxfrm_l functions resulting into denial-of-service by crashing the process or potential hijack of the process running with administrative privileges triggered by specially crafted input string.
How severe is CVE-2017-7523?: CVE-2017-7523 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 7.5, rated high severity. It is exploitable over network with low attack complexity, requires no privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is none, integrity none, and availability high.
Is CVE-2017-7523 being actively exploited?: It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 3% (84th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
What products are affected by CVE-2017-7523?: CVE-2017-7523 primarily affects Cygwin. In total, 32 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.
How do I fix CVE-2017-7523?: Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround. Given its high severity, prioritise patching exposed systems.
When was CVE-2017-7523 published?: CVE-2017-7523 was published on 2017-07-21 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

References

https://cygwin.com/ml/cygwin/2017-05/msg00149.html

Affected products (32)

cpe:2.3:a:cygwin:cygwin:1.7.2:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:cygwin:cygwin:1.7.3:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:cygwin:cygwin:1.7.5:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:cygwin:cygwin:1.7.6:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:cygwin:cygwin:1.7.7:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:cygwin:cygwin:1.7.8:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:cygwin:cygwin:1.7.9:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:cygwin:cygwin:1.7.10:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:cygwin:cygwin:1.7.11:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:cygwin:cygwin:1.7.12:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:cygwin:cygwin:1.7.13:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:cygwin:cygwin:1.7.14:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:cygwin:cygwin:1.7.15:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:cygwin:cygwin:1.7.16:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:cygwin:cygwin:1.7.17:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:cygwin:cygwin:1.7.18:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:cygwin:cygwin:1.7.19:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:cygwin:cygwin:1.7.21:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:cygwin:cygwin:1.7.22:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:cygwin:cygwin:1.7.23:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:cygwin:cygwin:1.7.24:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:cygwin:cygwin:1.7.25:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:cygwin:cygwin:1.7.26:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:cygwin:cygwin:1.7.27:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:cygwin:cygwin:1.7.28:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:cygwin:cygwin:1.7.29:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:cygwin:cygwin:1.7.31:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:cygwin:cygwin:1.7.32:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:cygwin:cygwin:1.7.33:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:cygwin:cygwin:1.7.34:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:cygwin:cygwin:1.7.35:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:cygwin:cygwin:1.8.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

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