CVE-2023-38408
CRITICALEPSS 100th pctlDescription
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.
How to fix
This Red Hat / RHEL release reached end-of-life on 2020-11-30.
This Red Hat / RHEL release reached end-of-life on 2020-11-30.
This Red Hat / RHEL release reached end-of-life on 2020-11-30.
This Red Hat / RHEL release reached end-of-life on 2020-11-30.
This Red Hat / RHEL release reached end-of-life on 2024-06-30. Extended security maintenance is available until 2029-05-31.
This Red Hat / RHEL release reached end-of-life on 2024-06-30. Extended security maintenance is available until 2029-05-31.
This Red Hat / RHEL release reached end-of-life on 2024-06-30. Extended security maintenance is available until 2029-05-31.
This Red Hat / RHEL release reached end-of-life on 2024-06-30. Extended security maintenance is available until 2029-05-31.
This Red Hat / RHEL release reached end-of-life on 2020-11-30.
This Red Hat / RHEL release reached end-of-life on 2020-11-30.
This Red Hat / RHEL release reached end-of-life on 2020-11-30.
This Red Hat / RHEL release reached end-of-life on 2024-06-30. Extended security maintenance is available until 2029-05-31.
This Red Hat / RHEL release reached end-of-life on 2024-06-30. Extended security maintenance is available until 2029-05-31.
This Red Hat / RHEL release reached end-of-life on 2024-06-30. Extended security maintenance is available until 2029-05-31.
This Red Hat / RHEL release reached end-of-life on 2024-06-30. Extended security maintenance is available until 2029-05-31.
This Red Hat / RHEL release reached end-of-life on 2024-06-30. Extended security maintenance is available until 2029-05-31.
This Red Hat / RHEL release reached end-of-life on 2024-06-30. Extended security maintenance is available until 2029-05-31.
This Red Hat / RHEL release reached end-of-life on 2024-06-30. Extended security maintenance is available until 2029-05-31.
This Red Hat / RHEL release reached end-of-life on 2024-06-30. Extended security maintenance is available until 2029-05-31.
This vulnerability affects an unusually large number of packages. The highest-confidence fixes are shown above; the full list is longer. Check the referenced advisories for complete coverage.
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Remediation is compiled from vendor and distribution security advisories. Always confirm against the linked source for your exact version and platform.
CVSS v3 Vector
Exploitability
Impact
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Exploit Intelligence
Very high risk: more likely to be exploited than 100% of all known CVEs.
References
Related Vulnerabilities
Other CWE-428 vulnerabilities, ordered by exploit likelihood. View all
| CVE | Severity | CVSS | EPSS | Exploited | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CVE-2020-15261 | High | 8.0 | 11% | - | Fix |
| CVE-2018-10619 | High | 7.8 | 2.8% | - | Fix |
| CVE-2019-17658 | Critical | 9.8 | 2.2% | - | - |
| CVE-2015-4173 | Medium | 6.9 | 2.1% | - | Fix |
| CVE-2023-39464 | High | 7.2 | 2.0% | - | - |
| CVE-2019-16647 | High | 7.2 | 2.0% | - | - |
Common questions
How do I fix CVE-2023-38408?
Published advisories record a fix for 60 affected products. The "How to fix" section on this page lists the fixed version and source advisory for each one, so apply the entry matching what you actually run.
Is CVE-2023-38408 being actively exploited?
Not that we know of. CVE-2023-38408 is not in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog. Its EPSS score of 79.7% is the estimated probability that it will be exploited in the next 30 days. That is higher than 100% of all scored CVEs.
How severe is CVE-2023-38408?
CVE-2023-38408 has a CVSS v3 base score of 9.8, rated critical. CVSS rates the technical impact if the vulnerability is exploited, not how likely that is, so weigh it alongside the exploit-prediction score when you decide what to patch first.
What does CVE-2023-38408 affect?
Published advisories record a fix for openssh (Amazon), openssh-askpass (Amazon), openssh-cavs (Amazon), openssh-clients (Amazon), and 56 more. Only products with a sourced advisory are listed, so treat this as what we can cite rather than a complete inventory.
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This product uses NVD data but is not endorsed or certified by the NVD. EPSS scores courtesy of FIRST.org (https://www.first.org/epss). Source: CISA KEV Catalog. Data as of 2026-06-17.