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Critical severityNVD Advisory· Published Jul 6, 2023· Updated Aug 2, 2024

CVE-2023-29824

CVE-2023-29824

Description

A use-after-free bug in Py_FindObjects() in SciPy before 1.8.0 was reported via static analysis but is not considered a security issue by the vendor.

AI Insight

LLM-synthesized narrative grounded in this CVE's description and references.

A use-after-free bug in Py_FindObjects() in SciPy before 1.8.0 was reported via static analysis but is not considered a security issue by the vendor.

Vulnerability

Overview

CVE-2023-29824 describes a use-after-free issue identified in the Py_FindObjects() function in SciPy versions prior to 1.8.0 [1]. The bug was discovered through static analysis, not through a practical exploit scenario. The condition occurs when memory allocation fails: after PyList_New() returns NULL, the code path can lead to a double decrement of a reference, resulting in a use-after-free condition [3][4].

Exploitation

Context

Exploitation would require triggering a memory allocation failure at a specific point in Py_FindObjects(), followed by the error handling path that causes the double free [3][4]. The discoverer's analysis indicates no proof-of-concept was developed, and the issue was manually reviewed to confirm the path exists but without a reproducer [3][4].

Impact and

Status

The impact is limited: an attacker would need to control the environment to cause memory exhaustion and then trigger this code path. The vendor and discoverer explicitly state that this is not a security issue [1]. The fix was committed in SciPy commit e32fc23, which is included in SciPy version 1.8.0 and later [2]. Users running older versions should upgrade to 1.8.0 or newer to eliminate this bug.

References
  1. NVD - CVE-2023-29824
  2. MAINT: Fix use-after-free in Py_FindObjects (#15013) · scipy/scipy@e32fc23
  3. BUG: Potential use-after-free bug in function `Py_FindObjects`
  4. BUG: Potential use-after-free bug in function `Py_FindObjects`

AI Insight generated on May 20, 2026. Synthesized from this CVE's description and the cited reference URLs; citations are validated against the source bundle.

Affected packages

Versions sourced from the GitHub Security Advisory.

PackageAffected versionsPatched versions
scipyPyPI
< 1.8.01.8.0

Affected products

13

Patches

1
e32fc2329d3d

MAINT: Fix use-after-free in Py_FindObjects (#15013)

https://github.com/scipy/scipyAnirudh DagarNov 11, 2021via ghsa
commit
1 file changed · +0 −1
  • scipy/ndimage/src/nd_image.c+0 −1 modified
    @@ -928,7 +928,6 @@ static PyObject *Py_FindObjects(PyObject *obj, PyObject *args)
     Py_XDECREF(slc);
     free(regions);
     if (PyErr_Occurred()) {
-        Py_XDECREF(result);
         return NULL;
     } else {
         return result;

Vulnerability mechanics

Generated on May 9, 2026. Inputs: CWE entries + fix-commit diffs from this CVE's patches. Citations validated against bundle.

References

8

News mentions

0

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