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Gecko Software Development KitApplication · Silabs

CVE-2023-1132

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_se_driver_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 operations in the sli_se_driver_key_agreement function, causing cryptographic key material to remain duplicated in RAM instead of being securely erased from memory.

MitigationUpgrade to Silicon Labs Gecko Platform SDK v4.2.2 or later if available; otherwise, review code for similar compiler-optimized-away secure memory clearing patterns and use compiler-specific intrinsics (e.g., memset_s, __memset) to prevent removal of security-sensitive memory clearing.

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 installed Gecko SDK version
    Locate the SDK installation directory and check the version manifest or release notes file. Common paths include Simplicity Studio installation folders or build system SDK references.
    Affected if The SDK version is 4.2.1 or earlier.
  2. Check for sli_se_driver_key_agreement usage
    Search your project source code and compiled binaries for references to the function sli_se_driver_key_agreement. Use grep or your IDE search across .c, .h, and linked library files.
    Affected if The function is present in your build and is linked into your firmware image.
  3. Verify secure element key agreement feature is enabled
    Review your project configuration (e.g., platform.ini, .slcp files in Silicon Labs tools) to confirm if Secure Element (SE) or key agreement functionality is enabled in your build.
    Affected if Secure Element support and key agreement operations are compiled into your application.
  4. Inspect compiler optimization settings
    Examine your build configuration and compiler flags for optimization settings (such as -O1, -O2, -Os) applied to the cryptographic code modules.
    Affected if Aggressive compiler optimizations are enabled and applied to the security-critical memory clearing code paths.

You are affected if your build uses Gecko SDK version 4.2.1 or earlier, includes the vulnerable sli_se_driver_key_agreement function via Secure Element key agreement features, and compiles with optimizations that can remove the memory clearing calls.

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 if available; otherwise, review code for similar compiler-optimized-away secure memory clearing patterns and use compiler-specific intrinsics (e.g., memset_s, __memset) to prevent removal of security-sensitive memory clearing.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Silicon Labs Gecko Platform SDK v4.3.0 or later

  1. 1. Identify all products and applications using Silicon Labs Gecko Platform SDK version 4.2.1 or earlier
  2. 2. Obtain the latest stable release of the Silicon Labs Gecko Platform SDK (version 4.3.0 or later) from the official Silicon Labs website or repository
  3. 3. Replace the existing SDK installation with the updated version in all development environments
  4. 4. Rebuild all affected applications and firmware images using the updated SDK
  5. 5. Verify that the sli_se_driver_key_agreement function properly handles buffer clearing in the compiled output
  6. 6. Deploy the rebuilt firmware to all affected devices
Caveat Review release notes for any API changes or deprecations between v4.2.1 and the target upgrade version before upgrading production systems

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
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
18.0 hours of engineering $3,200
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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-2023-1132 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