What is CVE-2023-26248?

CVE-2023-26248 is a medium-severity cross-site request forgery (CSRF) vulnerability in github.com/libp2p/go-libp2p-kad-dht (go), affecting versions <= 0.20.0. No fixed version is listed yet. A victim's authenticated browser session is used to submit forged requests to an application that cannot distinguish them from legitimate ones.

How severe is CVE-2023-26248?

CVE-2023-26248 has a CVSS score of 5.3 (Medium). 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 versions of github.com/libp2p/go-libp2p-kad-dht are affected by CVE-2023-26248?

github.com/libp2p/go-libp2p-kad-dht (go) versions <= 0.20.0 is affected.

Is there a fix for CVE-2023-26248?

No fixed version is listed for CVE-2023-26248 yet. Monitor the advisory for updates and apply mitigations in the interim.

Is CVE-2023-26248 exploitable, and should I be worried?

Whether CVE-2023-26248 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.

What actually determines whether CVE-2023-26248 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.

CVE-2023-26248

Q: How severe is CVE-2023-26248?

CVE-2023-26248 has a CVSS score of 5.3 (Medium). 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.

Q: Which versions of github.com/libp2p/go-libp2p-kad-dht are affected by CVE-2023-26248?

github.com/libp2p/go-libp2p-kad-dht (go) versions <= 0.20.0 is affected.

Q: Is there a fix for CVE-2023-26248?

No fixed version is listed for CVE-2023-26248 yet. Monitor the advisory for updates and apply mitigations in the interim.

Q: Is CVE-2023-26248 exploitable, and should I be worried?

Whether CVE-2023-26248 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.

Q: What actually determines whether CVE-2023-26248 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.

Q: How do I fix CVE-2023-26248?

No fixed version is listed yet. In the interim: Use per-session CSRF tokens on all state-changing operations and verify them server-side. SameSite cookie attributes provide additional defense.

Summary

Content Censorship in the InterPlanetary File System (IPFS) via Kademlia DHT abuse

The Kademlia DHT (go-libp2p-kad-dht 0.20.0 and earlier) used in IPFS (0.18.1 and earlier) assigns routing information for content (i.e., information about who holds the content) to be stored by peers whose peer IDs have a small DHT distance from the content ID. This allows an attacker to censor content by generating many Sybil peers whose peer IDs have a small distance from the content ID, thus hijacking the content resolution process.

Impact

A victim's authenticated browser session is used to submit forged requests to an application that cannot distinguish them from legitimate ones. Typical impact: state-changing actions performed as the victim without their consent.

CVE-2023-26248 has a CVSS score of 5.3 (Medium). 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. No fixed version is listed yet, so configuration controls and monitoring matter more in the interim.

Affected versions

github.com/libp2p/go-libp2p-kad-dht (<= 0.20.0)

Security releases

Not available

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.

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Remediation advice

No fixed version is listed for CVE-2023-26248 yet.

In the interim: Use per-session CSRF tokens on all state-changing operations and verify them server-side. SameSite cookie attributes provide additional defense.

Kodem Kai can prioritize this vulnerability in your dependency tree and generate a fix recommendation.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2023-26248? CVE-2023-26248 is a medium-severity cross-site request forgery (CSRF) vulnerability in github.com/libp2p/go-libp2p-kad-dht (go), affecting versions <= 0.20.0. No fixed version is listed yet. A victim's authenticated browser session is used to submit forged requests to an application that cannot distinguish them from legitimate ones.
How severe is CVE-2023-26248? CVE-2023-26248 has a CVSS score of 5.3 (Medium). 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 versions of github.com/libp2p/go-libp2p-kad-dht are affected by CVE-2023-26248? github.com/libp2p/go-libp2p-kad-dht (go) versions <= 0.20.0 is affected.
Is there a fix for CVE-2023-26248? No fixed version is listed for CVE-2023-26248 yet. Monitor the advisory for updates and apply mitigations in the interim.
Is CVE-2023-26248 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2023-26248 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-2023-26248 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-2023-26248? No fixed version is listed yet. In the interim: Use per-session CSRF tokens on all state-changing operations and verify them server-side. SameSite cookie attributes provide additional defense.