How severe is CVE-2023-4949?

CVE-2023-4949 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 8.1, rated high severity. It is exploitable over local access with low attack complexity, requires high privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is high, integrity low, and availability high.

Is CVE-2023-4949 being actively exploited?

It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 0% (15th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

What products are affected by CVE-2023-4949?

CVE-2023-4949 primarily affects Gnu Grub. In total, 2 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.

How do I fix CVE-2023-4949?

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-2023-4949 published?

CVE-2023-4949 was published on 2023-11-10 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

CVE-2023-4949

CVE-2023-4949 is a high-severity vulnerability in Gnu Grub with a CVSS 3.x base score of 8.1. 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-787.

Key facts

Severity: High (CVSS 3.x base score 8.1)
EPSS exploit prediction: 0% (15th percentile)
Actively exploited: Not listed in CISA KEV
Weakness: CWE-787
Affected product: Gnu Grub
Published: 2023-11-10
Last modified: 2026-06-17

Description

An attacker with local access to a system (either through a disk or external drive) can present a modified XFS partition to grub-legacy in such a way to exploit a memory corruption in grub’s XFS file system implementation.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2023-4949?: An attacker with local access to a system (either through a disk or external drive) can present a modified XFS partition to grub-legacy in such a way to exploit a memory corruption in grub’s XFS file system implementation.
How severe is CVE-2023-4949?: CVE-2023-4949 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 8.1, rated high severity. It is exploitable over local access with low attack complexity, requires high privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is high, integrity low, and availability high.
Is CVE-2023-4949 being actively exploited?: It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 0% (15th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
What products are affected by CVE-2023-4949?: CVE-2023-4949 primarily affects Gnu Grub. In total, 2 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.
How do I fix CVE-2023-4949?: 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-2023-4949 published?: CVE-2023-4949 was published on 2023-11-10 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

References

https://xenbits.xenproject.org/xsa/advisory-443.html

Affected products (2)

cpe:2.3:a:gnu:grub:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:xen:xen:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

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