Gecko Software Development KitApplication · Silabs

CVE-2023-0775

MEDIUM · 6.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2023-03-28
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
70/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
No privileges 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
An invalid ‘prepare write request’ command can cause the Bluetooth LE stack to run out of memory and fail to be able to handle subsequent connection requests, resulting in a 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

The vulnerability exists in the Bluetooth LE stack where an invalid 'prepare write request' command causes memory exhaustion. This prevents the device from properly handling subsequent Bluetooth LE connection requests, resulting in a persistent denial-of-service condition.

MitigationApply vendor-provided firmware/security patches for the Bluetooth LE stack that properly validate prepare write request commands and implement adequate memory management to prevent exhaustion.

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
Gecko Software Development KitApplication
Affected:= 5.1.0= 5.1.1

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
Adjacent
Complexity
Low
Privileges
None
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
None
Integrity
None
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:A/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/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 Silabs Gecko SDK installation
    Check your project dependencies or firmware build configuration for 'silabs gecko sdk' or 'gecko sdk' references. Look in build scripts, SDK manifest files, or firmware metadata.
    Affected if The Silabs Gecko SDK is present in your build environment
  2. Determine the installed SDK version
    Locate the SDK version file or build configuration that specifies the exact version number. Common locations include sdk_version.h, manifest.xml, or build configuration files.
    Affected if The version is exactly 5.1.0 or exactly 5.1.1
  3. Verify Bluetooth LE stack is enabled
    Check your firmware configuration for Bluetooth LE (BLE) stack initialization. Look for BLE-specific compilation flags, configuration macros like BLE_ENABLED, or BLE stack component inclusion in your build.
    Affected if Bluetooth LE functionality is compiled into or running on the device
  4. Confirm ATT Protocol handling is active
    Verify that the Bluetooth LE Attribute Protocol (ATT) is active on the device. This is typically present if the device acts as a GATT server or client, handling read/write/notify operations.
    Affected if The device handles BLE GATT/ATT operations

You are affected if your firmware uses Silabs Gecko SDK version 5.1.0 or 5.1.1 with the Bluetooth LE stack enabled and handling ATT/GATT operations.

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
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Apply vendor-provided firmware/security patches for the Bluetooth LE stack that properly validate prepare write request commands and implement adequate memory management to prevent exhaustion.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Gecko SDK version > 5.1.1 (latest stable release)

  1. 1. Identify all products using the Silicon Labs Gecko SDK versions 5.1.0 or 5.1.1
  2. 2. Check for and download the latest Gecko SDK release from Silicon Labs (siliconlabs.com)
  3. 3. Upgrade the Gecko SDK in your development environment to the latest stable version
  4. 4. Rebuild and test your firmware/application with the updated SDK
  5. 5. Deploy the updated firmware to affected devices
Caveat Review release notes for any API changes between 5.1.x and the target version that may require code modifications

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

Fix this in Gecko Software Development Kit Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing12.0 h
  • Review / QA4.0 h
28.0 hours of engineering $4,760
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Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2023-0775 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.

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-2023-0775 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
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