Summary
There exists an vulnerability causing an abort() to be called in gRPC.
The following headers cause gRPC's C++ implementation to abort() when called via http2:
te: x (x != trailers)
:scheme: x (x != http, https)
grpclb_client_stats: x (x == anything)
On top of sending one of those headers, a later header must be sent that gets the total header size past 8KB. We recommend upgrading past git commit 2485fa94bd8a723e5c977d55a3ce10b301b437f8 or v1.53 and above.
Impact
CVE-2023-1428 has a CVSS score of 7.5 (High). The vector is network-reachable, no privileges required, and no user interaction. A CVSS score reflects the worst-case severity of the vulnerability, not your specific exposure. Whether this affects your application depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable in your environment. A fixed version is available (1.53.0); upgrading removes the vulnerable code path.
Affected versions
Security releases
Kodem intelligence
Severity tells you how bad this could be in the worst case. It does not tell you whether you are exposed. Exploitability and impact are functions of runtime truth: whether the vulnerable code is present, reachable, and actually executes in your application. A vulnerable package can sit in your dependency tree and never run.
Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to reveal which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so teams prioritize the ones that genuinely matter. Kodem's runtime-powered SCA identifies whether this CVE is reachable in your applications.
Remediation advice
io.grpc:grpc-protobuf to 1.53.0 or later; grpcio to 1.53.0 or later; grpc to 1.53.0 or later
Kodem Kai can prioritize this vulnerability in your dependency tree and generate a fix recommendation.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is CVE-2023-1428? CVE-2023-1428 is a high-severity security vulnerability in io.grpc:grpc-protobuf (maven), affecting versions >= 1.51.0, < 1.53.0. It is fixed in 1.53.0.
- How severe is CVE-2023-1428? CVE-2023-1428 has a CVSS score of 7.5 (High). This score reflects the worst-case severity of the vulnerability, not your specific exposure. Whether it represents real risk in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable.
- Which packages are affected by CVE-2023-1428?
io.grpc:grpc-protobuf(maven) (versions >= 1.51.0, < 1.53.0)grpcio(pip) (versions >= 1.51.0, < 1.53.0)grpc(rubygems) (versions >= 1.51.0, < 1.53.0)
- Is there a fix for CVE-2023-1428? Yes. CVE-2023-1428 is fixed in 1.53.0. Upgrade to this version or later.
- Is CVE-2023-1428 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2023-1428 is exploitable in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable. A CVSS score is a worst-case rating; it does not account for your specific deployment, configuration, or usage patterns. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to show which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so you can focus on the ones that represent real risk. Get a demo
- What actually determines whether CVE-2023-1428 is exploitable, and how bad it is? Exploitability and impact are not fixed properties of a CVE. They depend on runtime truth: whether the vulnerable code is present, reachable, and actually executes in your application. A high CVSS score on a dependency that never runs is not the same as real risk. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to reveal which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so teams prioritize the ones that genuinely matter.
- How do I fix CVE-2023-1428?
- Upgrade
io.grpc:grpc-protobufto 1.53.0 or later - Upgrade
grpcioto 1.53.0 or later - Upgrade
grpcto 1.53.0 or later
- Upgrade