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Gecko Software Development KitApplication · Silabs

CVE-2023-0965

HIGH · 7.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2023-05-18
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to after 4.2.1 or later.
See remediation →
84/100
Remediation priority · High
Remotely reachable 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
Compiler removal of buffer clearing in sli_cryptoacc_transparent_key_agreement in Silicon Labs Gecko Platform SDK v4.2.1 and earlier results in key material duplication to RAM.

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

In Silicon Labs Gecko Platform SDK v4.2.1 and earlier, the compiler optimizes away buffer clearing code in the function sli_cryptoacc_transparent_key_agreement. This causes cryptographic key material to remain in RAM instead of being securely erased after use, potentially allowing recovery of sensitive keys from memory.

MitigationUpgrade to Silicon Labs Gecko Platform SDK v4.2.2 or later which contains the fix. Alternatively, implement compiler-specific memory clearing directives (such as volatile pointers or compiler barriers) to prevent optimization of buffer clearing operations in custom code using this function.

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:<= 4.2.1

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

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

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 Gecko SDK version
    Locate the SDK installation directory and check the version manifest or release notes. Common paths include Simplicity Studio installation folders or project dependencies. Look for version identifiers in sdk_version.h or release notes.
    Affected if The installed SDK version is 4.2.1 or earlier.
  2. Find usage of sli_cryptoacc_transparent_key_agreement
    Search project source code for references to the function name 'sli_cryptoacc_transparent_key_agreement' using grep, IDE search, or file search across the codebase.
    Affected if The function is called in the project code.
  3. Verify crypto key handling
    Review code paths that call the vulnerable function to confirm they involve cryptographic key material or key agreement operations. Check function arguments and return values for key data types.
    Affected if The function is used to process or agreement on cryptographic keys.
  4. Check compiler optimization settings
    Examine project build configuration (Makefile, CMake, or IDE project settings) for optimization flags such as -O1, -O2, -Os, or -O3 that enable compiler optimizations.
    Affected if Compiler optimizations are enabled at level O1 or higher.

A user is affected if they are using Gecko SDK version 4.2.1 or earlier, their project calls sli_cryptoacc_transparent_key_agreement for cryptographic key operations, and compiler optimizations are enabled.

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 a release after 4.2.1
Interim mitigation

Upgrade to Silicon Labs Gecko Platform SDK v4.2.2 or later which contains the fix. Alternatively, implement compiler-specific memory clearing directives (such as volatile pointers or compiler barriers) to prevent optimization of buffer clearing operations in custom code using this function.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Gecko Platform SDK 4.2.2 or later

  1. Identify the current Silicon Labs Gecko Platform SDK version in use by checking the SDK version in Simplicity Studio or project configuration
  2. Download and install Gecko Platform SDK version 4.2.2 or later from Silicon Labs
  3. Rebuild all projects using the updated SDK to incorporate the compiler fix
  4. Verify that the secure buffer clearing is functioning correctly in the compiled binary
  5. Test the application thoroughly to ensure functionality is maintained after the upgrade
Caveat Review Silicon Labs release notes for any breaking changes between 4.2.1 and the target upgrade version before proceeding

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

Fix this in Gecko Software Development Kit Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
10.0 hours of engineering $1,750
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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-2023-0965 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