dbcve.org
Connectx FirmwareOperating system · Nvidia

CVE-2023-0205

HIGH · 7.7 CVSS v3.1 Published 2023-04-22
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 35.1012 or later.
See remediation →
83/100
Remediation priority · High
Remotely reachable Zero-click

Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.

NVD · unedited
NVIDIA ConnectX-5, ConnectX-6, and ConnectX6-DX contain a vulnerability in the NIC firmware, where an unprivileged user can exploit insufficient granularity of access control, which may lead to denial of service.

Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.

dbcve analysis · moderate confidence

NVIDIA ConnectX-5, ConnectX-6, and ConnectX6-DX network interface card firmware contains an access control vulnerability where the access control mechanisms lack proper granularity, allowing an unprivileged user to trigger the vulnerability and cause a denial of service condition.

MitigationApply the vendor-supplied firmware update from NVIDIA to address the access control weakness in the affected ConnectX NIC firmware versions.

Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.

Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.

NVD · CPE data
Connectx FirmwareOperating system
Affected:< 35.1012

CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.

From the vector
Attack vector
Network
Complexity
Low
Privileges
Low
User interaction
None
Scope
Changed
Confidentiality
None
Integrity
None
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:N/I:N/A:H

Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.

dbcve checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Identify ConnectX NIC model
    Run 'lspci | grep -i mellanox' or check the network interface with 'ethtool -i <interface>' to determine if the NIC is a ConnectX-5, ConnectX-6, or ConnectX6-DX model
    Affected if The NIC model is ConnectX-5, ConnectX-6, or ConnectX6-DX
  2. Check current firmware version
    Use the NVIDIA firmware tool (flint) with 'flint -d <device> query' or check via 'mstflint -d <device> query' to retrieve the firmware version installed on the NIC
    Affected if A firmware version is returned showing the NIC has firmware loaded
  3. Compare version against vulnerable range
    Compare the installed firmware version string to 35.1012 - any version below 35.1012 (such as 35.x.x versions earlier than 35.1012, or any 34.x, 33.x, or earlier release trains) is in the vulnerable range
    Affected if The firmware version is below 35.1012 (for example, 35.1010, 34.37.10, or any earlier release)
  4. Verify access control configuration
    Review the NIC access control settings using the NVIDIA firmware tools or the mlnx_qos utility if granular access controls are configurable on the specific firmware version
    Affected if The access control mechanism lacks granular controls or allows unprivileged user access to sensitive operations

The environment is affected if a ConnectX-5, ConnectX-6, or ConnectX6-DX NIC has firmware version below 35.1012 installed, as the access control vulnerability can be triggered by an unprivileged user to cause denial of service.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.

dbcve · scoped
Upgrade available Upgrade to 35.1012 or later
Fixed in 35.1012
Interim mitigation

Apply the vendor-supplied firmware update from NVIDIA to address the access control weakness in the affected ConnectX NIC firmware versions.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Firmware version 35.1012 or later

  1. Identify the specific ConnectX adapter model (ConnectX-5, ConnectX-6, or ConnectX6-DX) in your environment
  2. Download the firmware version 35.1012 or later from NVIDIA's official firmware download portal
  3. Follow NVIDIA's standard firmware update procedure using flint or the appropriate firmware burning tool
  4. Verify the firmware version after update to confirm 35.1012 or higher is installed
  5. Test network connectivity and adapter functionality post-update

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Connectx Firmware Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
18.0 hours of engineering $3,200
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $5,120.

Scan for this in your stack

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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2023-0205 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

What belongs here
  • Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
  • No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data