Summary
Products.CMFCore unauthenticated denial of service and crash via unchecked use of input with Python's marshal module
Workarounds
Users can make the affected decodeFolderFilter method unreachable by editing the PortalFolder.py module in Products.CMFCore by hand and then restarting Zope. Go to line 233 of PortalFolder.py and remove both the @security.public decorator for decodeFolderFilter as well as the method's entire docstring. This is safe because the method is not actually used by current code.
References
- Products.CMFCore security advisory GHSA-4hpj-8rhv-9x87
Credits
Thanks go to Nicolas VERDIER from onepoint.
For more information
If you have any questions or comments about this advisory:
- Open an issue in the Products.CMFCore issue tracker
- Email us at [email protected]
Impact
The use of Python's marshal module to handle unchecked input in a public method on PortalFolder objects can lead to an unauthenticated denial of service and crash situation. The code in question is exposed by all portal software built on top of Products.CMFCore, such as Plone. All deployments are vulnerable.
The application allocates resources such as memory, threads, or file descriptors based on untrusted input without enforcing a cap. Typical impact: resource exhaustion leading to denial of service.
CVE-2023-36814 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 (3.2, 2.7.1); 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.
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The code has been fixed in Products.CMFCore version 3.2.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is CVE-2023-36814? CVE-2023-36814 is a high-severity allocation of resources without limits or throttling vulnerability in Products.CMFCore (pip), affecting versions >= 3.0, < 3.2. It is fixed in 3.2, 2.7.1. The application allocates resources such as memory, threads, or file descriptors based on untrusted input without enforcing a cap.
- How severe is CVE-2023-36814? CVE-2023-36814 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 versions of Products.CMFCore are affected by CVE-2023-36814? Products.CMFCore (pip) versions >= 3.0, < 3.2 is affected.
- Is there a fix for CVE-2023-36814? Yes. CVE-2023-36814 is fixed in 3.2, 2.7.1. Upgrade to this version or later.
- Is CVE-2023-36814 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2023-36814 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-2023-36814 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-2023-36814?
- Upgrade
Products.CMFCoreto 3.2 or later - Upgrade
Products.CMFCoreto 2.7.1 or later
- Upgrade