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ArubaosOperating system · Hp

CVE-2023-22784

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 · high confidence

Multiple buffer overflow vulnerabilities exist in Aruba's PAPI (Access Point Management Protocol) service listening on UDP port 8211. An unauthenticated attacker can send specially crafted packets to trigger the overflow and achieve remote code execution as a privileged (root) user on the underlying operating system.

MitigationApply available Aruba firmware updates that address these vulnerabilities; if immediate patching is not possible, restrict network access to UDP port 8211 through firewall or ACL rules to prevent unauthenticated external access.

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. Verify PAPI service is exposed
    Check if UDP port 8211 is listening on the device. On the Aruba device, run: 'show ip interface' or 'netstat -anu | grep 8211'. From an external host, run: 'nc -zvu <device_ip> 8211' or 'nmap -sU -p 8211 <device_ip>'
    Affected if UDP port 8211 is open and reachable from untrusted networks
  2. Identify the product type
    Run 'show version' on the Aruba device to determine if it runs ArubaOS or InstantOS. ArubaOS typically runs on hardware controllers, while InstantOS runs on access points or virtual controllers.
    Affected if Device runs ArubaOS or InstantOS firmware
  3. Check installed firmware version
    Execute 'show version' on the Aruba device. Look for the software version number displayed in the output (e.g., 8.10.0.3 or 10.3.1.0)
    Affected if Installed version matches one of the affected ranges: ArubaOS 10.3.0.0-10.3.1.0; InstantOS 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, or 8.10.0.0-8.10.0.4
  4. Confirm PAPI protocol is enabled
    Verify the PAPI service is enabled by checking 'show process' or reviewing the device configuration for any papi-related settings. The vulnerability applies when the PAPI service is active on UDP 8211.
    Affected if PAPI service is running and processing packets on UDP port 8211

The environment is affected if UDP port 8211 is exposed, the device runs ArubaOS or InstantOS, and the installed firmware version falls within any of the affected version ranges listed.

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 available Aruba firmware updates that address these vulnerabilities; if immediate patching is not possible, restrict network access to UDP port 8211 through firewall or ACL rules to prevent unauthenticated external access.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

ArubaOS 10.3.2.0 or later | InstantOS 6.4.4.8-4.2.4.21 or later, 6.5.4.24 or later, 8.6.0.20 or later (or migrate to 8.7+/8.10+ branches)

  1. 1. Identify the exact ArubaOS or InstantOS version currently installed on the affected device.
  2. 2. Navigate to the Aruba support portal at https://asp.arubanetworks.com/ and locate the security advisory for CVE-2023-22784.
  3. 3. Download and apply the recommended firmware version for your product line as specified in the Aruba security bulletin.
  4. 4. Verify the upgrade was successful by confirming the new firmware version is installed.
  5. 5. After patching, ensure UDP port 8211 (PAPI) is properly firewalled if not required for management.
Caveat Review release notes for your specific model for any compatibility or behavioral changes between versions

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

Fix this in Arubaos Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation6.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
15.0 hours of engineering $2,690
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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-2023-22784 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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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