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ArubaosOperating system · Hp

CVE-2023-22783

CRITICAL · 9.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2023-05-08
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 8.6.0.0 or later.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
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
There are buffer overflow vulnerabilities in multiple underlying services that could lead to unauthenticated remote code execution by sending specially crafted packets destined to the PAPI (Aruba's access point management protocol) UDP port (8211). Successful exploitation of these vulnerabilities result in the ability to execute arbitrary code as a privileged user on the underlying operating system.

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

Buffer overflow vulnerabilities exist in multiple underlying services of Aruba's access point management protocol (PAPI). By sending specially crafted UDP packets to port 8211, an unauthenticated attacker can trigger the overflow and execute arbitrary code with privileged (root) user permissions on the affected operating system.

MitigationApply the appropriate Aruba firmware update or patch that addresses these buffer overflow vulnerabilities in the PAPI service; restrict network access to UDP port 8211 from untrusted sources as an interim measure.

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
ArubaosOperating system
Affected:>= 10.3.0.0, <= 10.3.1.0
InstantosOperating system
Affected:>= 6.4.0.0, <= 6.4.4.8-4.2.4.20>= 6.5.0.0, <= 6.5.4.23>= 8.4.0.0, < 8.6.0.0>= 8.6.0.0, <= 8.6.0.19>= 8.7.0.0, <= 8.9.0.0>= 8.10.0.0, <= 8.10.0.4

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
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/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 the device as Aruba hardware
    Log into the device CLI or check the device documentation to confirm it is an Aruba access point, controller, or switch running ArubaOS or InstantOS. Look for Aruba-specific prompts, branding, or running 'show version' command output.
    Affected if The device is NOT an Aruba product running ArubaOS or InstantOS, then it is not affected by this CVE.
  2. Determine the installed firmware version
    Execute the command 'show version' or 'show controller-info' in the device CLI. For InstantOS access points, you may also use the WebUI under Maintenance > Firmware or check the Instant controller's WebUI.
    Affected if You cannot determine the version - the check is inconclusive.
  3. Compare installed version against affected ArubaOS range
    If running ArubaOS, compare the installed version number to the affected range: >= 10.3.0.0 through 10.3.1.0. Any version within this inclusive range is affected.
    Affected if ArubaOS version is 10.3.0.0 through 10.3.1.0 inclusive - the device is vulnerable.
  4. Compare installed version against affected InstantOS range
    If running InstantOS, compare the installed version to ALL affected ranges: 6.4.0.0 to 6.4.4.8-4.2.4.20, 6.5.0.0 to 6.5.4.23, 8.4.0.0 to <8.6.0.0, 8.6.0.0 to 8.6.0.19, 8.7.0.0 to 8.9.0.0, 8.10.0.0 to 8.10.0.4. Any version within these ranges is affected.
    Affected if InstantOS version falls within any of these ranges - the device is vulnerable.
  5. Verify UDP port 8211 exposure
    From an external host, perform a UDP port scan against port 8211 targeting the device IP address using 'nmap -sU -p 8211 <device_ip>' or check device firewall rules with 'show ip access-list' or 'show firewall configuration'.
    Affected if UDP port 8211 is accessible from untrusted networks, combined with a vulnerable version, the device is at risk of remote exploitation.

A device is affected if it is an Aruba access point or controller running ArubaOS version 10.3.0.0 through 10.3.1.0 or InstantOS version within any of the specified ranges, AND UDP port 8211 is reachable on the device.

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 8.6.0.0 or later
Fixed in 8.6.0.0
Interim mitigation

Apply the appropriate Aruba firmware update or patch that addresses these buffer overflow vulnerabilities in the PAPI service; restrict network access to UDP port 8211 from untrusted sources as an interim measure.

Recommended fix High confidence
  1. Identify the specific Aruba device (ArubaOS Mobility Controller or InstantOS Access Point) and confirm the current firmware version falls within the affected ranges (ArubaOS 10.3.0.0-10.3.1.0; InstantOS 6.4.x.x-6.5.x.x, 8.4.x.x-8.6.x.x).
  2. Access the Aruba Networks support portal and download the latest stable firmware release for your specific device model.
  3. Ensure the new firmware version is newer than the highest vulnerable version listed (e.g., for ArubaOS 10.3.x target >10.3.1.0; for InstantOS 8.6.x target >8.6.0.19).
  4. Upload the new firmware image to the device via the WebUI or CLI (e.g., using the 'copy' or 'upgrade' commands).
  5. Reboot the device to apply the updated firmware.
Caveat Review the release notes for the new firmware version before upgrading to check for any required configuration changes or behavioral updates.

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

Fix this in Arubaos 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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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-2023-22783 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