# CVE-2022-38223: w3m: There is an out-of-bounds write in checkType located in etc.c in w3m 0.5.3

CVE-2022-38223 is fixed in 2 products on 1 platform, first by w3m 0.5.3-36ubuntu0.1, released August 15, 2022. It is not reported as exploited. Patch Radar priority: High.

- Web page: https://patchblox.com/security/cve/CVE-2022-38223
- Priority: High
- CVSS: 7.8 (Medium)
- EPSS: 0.0047
- CISA KEV: not listed
- Exploited (vendor report): no
- Publicly disclosed: no
- Published: Aug 15, 2022

## Description

There is an out-of-bounds write in checkType located in etc.c in w3m 0.5.3. It can be triggered by sending a crafted HTML file to the w3m binary. It allows an attacker to cause Denial of Service or possibly have unspecified other impact.

## Where it's fixed

| Platform | Product | Fixed in | Fix | Released |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Linux | w3m Debian 12.15 (bookworm) | 0.5.3+git20230121-1 | [DEBIAN-CVE-2022-38223](https://patchblox.com/security/data/fix/linux/debian-cve-2022-38223.md) | Aug 15, 2022 |
| Linux | w3m Debian 13.5 (trixie) | 0.5.3+git20230121-1 | [DEBIAN-CVE-2022-38223](https://patchblox.com/security/data/fix/linux/debian-cve-2022-38223.md) | Aug 15, 2022 |
| Linux | w3m Debian 14 | 0.5.3+git20230121-1 | [DEBIAN-CVE-2022-38223](https://patchblox.com/security/data/fix/linux/debian-cve-2022-38223.md) | Aug 15, 2022 |
| Linux | w3m Ubuntu 18.04.6 LTS (bionic) | 0.5.3-36ubuntu0.1 | [w3m 0.5.3-36ubuntu0.1](https://patchblox.com/security/data/fix/linux/ubuntu-bionic-w3m-0.5.3-36ubuntu0.1.md) | Aug 15, 2022 |
| Linux | w3m Ubuntu 20.04 LTS (focal) | 0.5.3-37ubuntu0.1 | [w3m 0.5.3-37ubuntu0.1](https://patchblox.com/security/data/fix/linux/ubuntu-focal-w3m-0.5.3-37ubuntu0.1.md) | Aug 15, 2022 |
| Linux | w3m Ubuntu 22.04.1 LTS (jammy) | 0.5.3+git20210102-6ubuntu0.1 | [w3m 0.5.3+git20210102-6ubuntu0.1](https://patchblox.com/security/data/fix/linux/ubuntu-jammy-w3m-0.5.3-git20210102-6ubuntu0.1.md) | Aug 15, 2022 |
| Linux | w3m Ubuntu 24.10 (oracular) | 0.5.3+git20220429-1ubuntu1 | [w3m 0.5.3+git20220429-1ubuntu1](https://patchblox.com/security/data/fix/linux/ubuntu-oracular-w3m-0.5.3-git20220429-1ubuntu1.md) | Jan 16, 2026 |
| Linux | w3m Ubuntu 25.04 (plucky) | 0.5.3+git20220429-1ubuntu1 | [w3m 0.5.3+git20220429-1ubuntu1](https://patchblox.com/security/data/fix/linux/ubuntu-plucky-w3m-0.5.3-git20220429-1ubuntu1.md) | Jan 16, 2026 |
| Linux | w3m-img Ubuntu 18.04.6 LTS (bionic) | 0.5.3-36ubuntu0.1 | [w3m-img 0.5.3-36ubuntu0.1](https://patchblox.com/security/data/fix/linux/ubuntu-bionic-w3m-img-0.5.3-36ubuntu0.1.md) | Aug 15, 2022 |
| Linux | w3m-img Ubuntu 20.04 LTS (focal) | 0.5.3-37ubuntu0.1 | [w3m-img 0.5.3-37ubuntu0.1](https://patchblox.com/security/data/fix/linux/ubuntu-focal-w3m-img-0.5.3-37ubuntu0.1.md) | Aug 15, 2022 |
| Linux | w3m-img Ubuntu 22.04.1 LTS (jammy) | 0.5.3+git20210102-6ubuntu0.1 | [w3m-img 0.5.3+git20210102-6ubuntu0.1](https://patchblox.com/security/data/fix/linux/ubuntu-jammy-w3m-img-0.5.3-git20210102-6ubuntu0.1.md) | Aug 15, 2022 |
| Linux | w3m-img Ubuntu 24.10 (oracular) | 0.5.3+git20220429-1ubuntu1 | [w3m-img 0.5.3+git20220429-1ubuntu1](https://patchblox.com/security/data/fix/linux/ubuntu-oracular-w3m-img-0.5.3-git20220429-1ubuntu1.md) | Jan 16, 2026 |
| Linux | w3m-img Ubuntu 25.04 (plucky) | 0.5.3+git20220429-1ubuntu1 | [w3m-img 0.5.3+git20220429-1ubuntu1](https://patchblox.com/security/data/fix/linux/ubuntu-plucky-w3m-img-0.5.3-git20220429-1ubuntu1.md) | Jan 16, 2026 |

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Data as of 2026-11-08T13:06:02Z UTC. Source: Patchblox Patch Radar (https://patchblox.com/security/patch-radar). Patchblox finds out-of-date software on Windows, macOS and Linux and updates it through release rings: https://patchblox.com/demo

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