How severe is CVE-2023-51385?

CVE-2023-51385 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 6.5, rated medium severity. It is exploitable over network with low attack complexity, requires no privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is low, integrity low, and availability none.

Is CVE-2023-51385 being actively exploited?

It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 20% (97th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

What products are affected by CVE-2023-51385?

CVE-2023-51385 primarily affects Openbsd Openssh. In total, 4 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.

How do I fix CVE-2023-51385?

Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround.

When was CVE-2023-51385 published?

CVE-2023-51385 was published on 2023-12-18 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

CVE-2023-51385

CVE-2023-51385 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Openbsd Openssh with a CVSS 3.x base score of 6.5. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score of 20% places it in the 97th percentile, indicating an elevated likelihood of exploitation. The underlying weakness is classified as CWE-78.

Key facts

Severity: Medium (CVSS 3.x base score 6.5)
EPSS exploit prediction: 20% (97th percentile)
Actively exploited: Not listed in CISA KEV
Weakness: CWE-78
Affected product: Openbsd Openssh
Published: 2023-12-18
Last modified: 2026-06-17

Description

In ssh in OpenSSH before 9.6, OS command injection might occur if a user name or host name has shell metacharacters, and this name is referenced by an expansion token in certain situations. For example, an untrusted Git repository can have a submodule with shell metacharacters in a user name or host name.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2023-51385?: In ssh in OpenSSH before 9.6, OS command injection might occur if a user name or host name has shell metacharacters, and this name is referenced by an expansion token in certain situations. For example, an untrusted Git repository can have a submodule with shell metacharacters in a user name or host name.
How severe is CVE-2023-51385?: CVE-2023-51385 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 6.5, rated medium severity. It is exploitable over network with low attack complexity, requires no privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is low, integrity low, and availability none.
Is CVE-2023-51385 being actively exploited?: It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 20% (97th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
What products are affected by CVE-2023-51385?: CVE-2023-51385 primarily affects Openbsd Openssh. In total, 4 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.
How do I fix CVE-2023-51385?: Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround.
When was CVE-2023-51385 published?: CVE-2023-51385 was published on 2023-12-18 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

References

Affected products (4)

cpe:2.3:a:openbsd:openssh:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:debian:debian_linux:10.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:debian:debian_linux:11.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:debian:debian_linux:12.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

More vulnerabilities in Openbsd Openssh

CVE-2003-0786 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): The SSH1 PAM challenge response authentication in OpenSSH 3.7.1 and 3.7.1p1, when Privilege Separation is disabled,…
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CVE-2002-0640 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): Buffer overflow in sshd in OpenSSH 2.3.1 through 3.3 may allow remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via a large…
CVE-2001-0144 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): CORE SDI SSH1 CRC-32 compensation attack detector allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary commands on an SSH…
CVE-2000-0999 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): Format string vulnerabilities in OpenBSD ssh program (and possibly other BSD-based operating systems) allow attackers…
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Other CWE-78 (OS Command Injection) vulnerabilities

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CVE-2026-16812 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): VeloCloud Orchestrator (VCO) on-prem has a security issue where this issue may allow a remote attacker to access…
CVE-2026-6516 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): Zohocorp ManageEngine ADAudit Plus versions before 8606 are affected by Unauthenticated Remote code execution due to…
CVE-2026-46339 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): 9Router is an AI router & token saver. From 0.4.30 until 0.4.37, 9Router's src/proxy.js middleware did not protect…
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Browse all CWE-78 (OS Command Injection) vulnerabilities →

Threat intelligence

Threat-intel indicators referencing this CVE:

128.1.32.99 (ipv4-addr)
104.218.165.188 (ipv4-addr)
152.32.208.73 (ipv4-addr)
152.32.145.49 (ipv4-addr)
104.218.164.192 (ipv4-addr)
165.154.11.140 (ipv4-addr)
152.32.217.163 (ipv4-addr)
152.32.204.21 (ipv4-addr)