CVE-2023-22917
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 · uneditedA buffer overflow vulnerability in the “sdwan_iface_ipc” binary of Zyxel ATP series firmware versions 5.10 through 5.32, USG FLEX series firmware versions 5.00 through 5.32, USG FLEX 50(W) firmware versions 5.10 through 5.32, USG20(W)-VPN firmware versions 5.10 through 5.32, and VPN series firmware versions 5.00 through 5.35, which could allow a remote unauthenticated attacker to cause a core dump with a request error message on a vulnerable device by uploading a crafted configuration file.
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 confidenceA buffer overflow vulnerability exists in the 'sdwan_iface_ipc' binary of multiple Zyxel security appliance firmware versions (5.00-5.35 depending on model). Remote unauthenticated attackers can exploit this by uploading a crafted configuration file, causing a core dump with a request error message on the vulnerable device.
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>= 5.00, <= 5.32>= 5.00, <= 5.32>= 5.00, <= 5.32>= 5.00, <= 5.32>= 5.10, <= 5.32>= 5.00, <= 5.32>= 5.00, <= 5.32>= 5.00, <= 5.35CVSS 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
- None
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Identify device modelAccess the device web interface or CLI and retrieve the exact model name (e.g., USG Flex 100, VPN100) from the system status or device info page.Affected if The model is not one of the eight affected models listed (USG Flex 100, 100w, 200, 50, 50w, 500, 700, or VPN100)
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Check installed firmware versionNavigate to the device dashboard or use CLI command 'show system info' or 'version' to retrieve the current firmware version.Affected if The firmware version falls within the affected range for your specific model (most are 5.00-5.32, VPN100 is 5.00-5.35)
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Verify sdwan_iface_ipc binary presenceAccess the device via SSH or console and check for the existence of the '/bin/sdwan_iface_ipc' or '/sbin/sdwan_iface_ipc' binary using 'ls -la' command.Affected if The binary exists on the device - this is the vulnerable component that must be present for exploitation
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Check for core dump filesSearch for core dump files in /var/log/, /var/core/, or /tmp/ directories using 'find /var -name core*' or 'ls -la /var/core/'Affected if Core dump files exist, especially if containing 'sdwan_iface_ipc' in the filename or showing request error messages related to configuration upload
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Review system logs for exploitation attemptsExamine system logs via web interface (Log > System) or CLI 'show log' command for entries containing 'sdwan_iface_ipc', 'configuration upload', 'request error', or buffer overflow indicators.Affected if Logs show error messages related to the sdwan_iface_ipc component or failed configuration upload attempts resulting in core dumps
The device is affected if it is one of the eight listed models running a firmware version within the specified range (5.00-5.32 or 5.00-5.35 for VPN100), and the vulnerable sdwan_iface_ipc binary is present on the system.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
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.
From vendor dataApply vendor-supplied firmware updates to all affected ATP, USG FLEX, USG20(W)-VPN, and VPN series devices. For production environments, test the firmware upgrade in a staging environment before deployment.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing3.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $2,800.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2023-22917 — 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 sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2023-22917 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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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.
- 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