CVE-2023-40703 — v8
MEDIUMCVE-2023-40703 is a medium-severity (CVSS 4.3) Uncontrolled Resource Consumption vulnerability in github.com/mattermost/mattermost/server/v8. A fix is available for github.com/mattermost/mattermost/server/v8 — see the affected versions and patch details below.
Denial of Service via specially crafted block fields in Mattermost Boards
Exploitation Status
No confirmed exploitation observed yet
- CISA’s own triage has not observed active exploitation or public proof-of-concept code for this CVE as of its last assessment.
Exploitation and automatability from CISA’s SSVC triage for CVE-2023-40703.
EPSS Exploitation Probability
EPSS (Exploit Prediction Scoring System) is a daily probability model maintained by FIRST.org. It estimates the likelihood a CVE will be exploited in production environments within the next 30 days, derived from real-world threat intelligence signals.
How urgent is this, really
CVE-2023-40703 plotted by exploitation likelihood (EPSS) against impact (CVSS). The shaded corner — EPSS 50%+ and CVSS 7.0+ — is where this CVE doesn't sit, though severity or exploitability alone can still warrant action.
Where this sits among everything scored
Of 376,715 CVEs with a current EPSS score, this one falls in the < 10% band (highlighted). Real counts from FIRST.org, not a sample — log-scaled since the landscape is heavily right-skewed.
Real-World Exposure
github.com/mattermost/mattermost/server/v8🐹github.com/mattermost/mattermost/server/v8🐹github.com/mattermost/mattermost/server/v8🐹github.com/mattermost/mattermost-server/v6Real-time download stats are indexed for npm and PyPI packages. This vulnerability affects Go packages — download data is not available via public APIs for these ecosystems.
Description
Mattermost fails to properly limit the characters allowed in different fields of a block in Mattermost Boards allowing a attacker to consume excessive resources, possibly leading to Denial of Service, by patching the field of a block using a specially crafted string.
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🐹Go | github.com/mattermost/mattermost/server/v8 | ≥ 9.1.0&&< 9.1.1 | 9.1.1go get github.com/mattermost/mattermost/server/v8@v9.1.1 |
| 🐹Go | github.com/mattermost/mattermost/server/v8 | ≥ 9.0.0&&< 9.0.2 | 9.0.2go get github.com/mattermost/mattermost/server/v8@v9.0.2 |
| 🐹Go | github.com/mattermost/mattermost/server/v8 | all versions | 8.1.4go get github.com/mattermost/mattermost/server/v8@v8.1.4 |
| 🐹Go | github.com/mattermost/mattermost-server/v6 | all versions | 7.8.13go get github.com/mattermost/mattermost-server/v6@v7.8.13 |
Detection & mitigation playbook
Open-source dependencyDetect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for github.com/mattermost/mattermost/server/v8, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.
Fix
Update github.com/mattermost/mattermost/server/v8 to 9.1.1 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms CVE-2023-40703 is resolved across your whole dependency graph.
Workarounds
If you can't upgrade right away: gate or disable the affected feature, validate untrusted input at the boundary, and avoid passing attacker-controlled data into the vulnerable path. O3's runtime protection blocks exploitation in production as an interim safeguard until the upgrade lands.
How O3 protects you
O3 Security's impact-aware SCA analyses which vulnerable code paths your application actually calls, so a match like CVE-2023-40703 can be triaged on real exposure rather than presence alone.
Tailored to CVE-2023-40703. Runtime protection reduces exposure until a permanent patch is applied and verified — it complements patching, it doesn't replace it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is CVE-2023-40703 in your dependencies?
O3 Security finds CVE-2023-40703 across Go dependencies, including transitive ones, and its impact-aware SCA ranks findings by whether your code actually calls the vulnerable path.