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Host AgentApplication · Sap

CVE-2023-24523

HIGH · 8.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2023-02-14
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
90/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
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
An attacker authenticated as a non-admin user with local access to a server port assigned to the SAP Host Agent (Start Service) - versions 7.21, 7.22, can submit a crafted ConfigureOutsideDiscovery request with an operating system command which will be executed with administrator privileges.  The OS command can read or modify any user or system data and can make the system unavailable.

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

A privilege escalation vulnerability in SAP Host Agent (Start Service) versions 7.21 and 7.22 allows authenticated non-admin users with local network access to execute arbitrary operating system commands with administrator privileges by submitting crafted ConfigureOutsideDiscovery requests.

MitigationApply SAP security patches for CVE-2023-24523 and restrict access to SAP Host Agent ports to authorized administrators only.

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
Host AgentApplication
Affected:= 7.21= 7.22

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
Local
Complexity
Low
Privileges
Low
User interaction
None
Scope
Changed
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/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 SAP Host Agent installation
    Locate the SAP Host Agent installation directory. Common paths include /usr/sap/hostctrl/exe or C:\Program Files\sapinst\hostctrl\exe. Look for the 'saphostctrl' or 'saphostagent' executable.
    Affected if SAP Host Agent is not installed on the system.
  2. Determine installed SAP Host Agent version
    Run the Host Agent version command. For Linux/Unix: ./saphostctrl -version or ./saphostagent -version. For Windows: saphostctrl.exe -version. Compare the reported version to 7.21 or 7.22.
    Affected if The installed version is exactly 7.21 or exactly 7.22.
  3. Confirm Start Service component status
    Check if the SAP Host Agent Start Service is running and enabled. Query the Host Agent status via: ./saphostctrl -function GetSystemComponentList or check the Windows service 'SAP Host Agent' status.
    Affected if The Start Service component is running and accessible.
  4. Assess network exposure of Host Agent ports
    Identify listening ports used by SAP Host Agent (typically ports 1128, 1129, or 11213). Use netstat or equivalent to determine if these ports are bound to network interfaces accessible from non-localhost addresses.
    Affected if SAP Host Agent ports are exposed to network addresses accessible by non-admin authenticated users.

A system is affected if SAP Host Agent versions 7.21 or 7.22 are installed with the Start Service component running and accessible to authenticated non-admin users on the network.

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
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Apply SAP security patches for CVE-2023-24523 and restrict access to SAP Host Agent ports to authorized administrators only.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

SAP Host Agent version 7.23 or later (latest available stable release)

  1. 1. Verify the current SAP Host Agent version by executing: `sapcontrol -nr <instance> -function GetVersion` or checking the SAP Host Agent console
  2. 2. Download the latest SAP Host Agent version from the SAP Software Download Center (SAP Support Portal)
  3. 3. Schedule a maintenance window to minimize business impact
  4. 4. Backup the current SAP Host Agent configuration
  5. 5. Stop the SAP Host Agent service: `sapcontrol -nr <instance> -function Stop`
  6. 6. Install the updated SAP Host Agent package using SAP's standard installation procedure
  7. 7. Start the SAP Host Agent service: `sapcontrol -nr <instance> -function Start`
  8. 8. Verify the upgrade was successful by checking the version: `sapcontrol -nr <instance> -function GetVersion`
Caveat Review SAP Host Agent release notes for version 7.23+ to check for any configuration or compatibility changes that may require adjustment

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

Fix this in Host Agent Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
11.0 hours of engineering $1,930
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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-2023-24523 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