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Bluefield 1 FirmwareOperating system · Nvidia

CVE-2023-25519

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2023-09-12
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 24.35.3006 / 24.38.1002 or later.
See remediation →
80/100
Remediation priority · High
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
NVIDIA ConnectX Host Firmware for the BlueField Data Processing Unit contains a vulnerability where a restricted host may cause an incorrect user management error. A successful exploit of this vulnerability may lead to escalation of privileges. 

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

NVIDIA ConnectX Host Firmware for BlueField DPUs contains a vulnerability where a restricted or low-privilege host can trigger an incorrect user management error, allowing an attacker to escalate privileges. The flaw appears to be in the firmware's user management subsystem where improper authorization checks permit privilege elevation.

MitigationApply the latest NVIDIA firmware update for BlueField DPUs after consulting NVIDIA's security bulletin. Verify the firmware version and test in a staging environment before production deployment.

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
Bluefield 1 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:>= 18.24.1000
Bluefield 2 Lts FirmwareOperating system
Affected:< 24.35.3006
Bluefield 2 Ga FirmwareOperating system
Affected:< 24.38.1002
Bluefield 3 Ga FirmwareOperating system
Affected:< 32.38.1002

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
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/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 BlueField DPU hardware
    Check system hardware inventory or look for Mellanox/NVIDIA BlueField DPU cards installed in the system. On Linux, `lspci | grep -i bluefield` or `ip link show` may reveal the device.
    Affected if No BlueField DPU is present in the environment
  2. Retrieve installed firmware version
    Use NVIDIA/Mellanox tools to query firmware. Run `mlxfwmanager` or `mstflint -d <device>` on the host, or access the BlueField BMC/ARM management interface to view firmware version information.
    Affected if Unable to retrieve firmware version from the DPU
  3. Compare firmware version to affected ranges
    Match the installed firmware version against: BlueField 1: >= 18.24.1000 (affected); BlueField 2 LTS: < 24.35.3006 (affected); BlueField 2 GA: < 24.38.1002 (affected); BlueField 3 GA: < 32.38.1002 (affected).
    Affected if Installed version falls within any affected range listed
  4. Verify user management configuration
    Check if the firmware has user management features enabled and if low-privilege host access to user management functions is permitted. This may require reviewing BMC/ARM user accounts or firmware security settings.
    Affected if User management subsystem is accessible to restricted host users

The environment is affected if a BlueField DPU is present with firmware version matching the affected ranges, and the user management subsystem allows low-privilege host access.

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 24.35.3006 / 24.38.1002 / 32.38.1002 or later
Fixed in 24.35.300624.38.100232.38.1002
Interim mitigation

Apply the latest NVIDIA firmware update for BlueField DPUs after consulting NVIDIA's security bulletin. Verify the firmware version and test in a staging environment before production deployment.

Recommended fix High confidence

Bluefield 2 LTS: 24.35.3006+ | Bluefield 2 GA: 24.38.1002+ | Bluefield 3 GA: 32.38.1002+ | Bluefield 1: contact NVIDIA

  1. 1. Identify the Bluefield model number (BF-1, BF-2, or BF-3) and current firmware version using NVIDIA documentation or the system's BMC/ARM management interface
  2. 2. For Bluefield 2 LTS: Upgrade firmware to version 24.35.3006 or later
  3. 3. For Bluefield 2 GA: Upgrade firmware to version 24.38.1002 or later
  4. 4. For Bluefield 3 GA: Upgrade firmware to version 32.38.1002 or later
  5. 5. For Bluefield 1: Contact NVIDIA support for available fixed firmware versions as the CVE coverage appears to be version-dependent
  6. 6. Download the appropriate firmware bundle from NVIDIA's official support portal (nvidia.custhelp.com)
  7. 7. Follow NVIDIA's documented firmware update procedure for the Bluefield DPU, ensuring proper backup of current configuration
  8. 8. After upgrade, verify the new firmware version is applied and test that user management functionality operates correctly
Caveat Review NVIDIA release notes for any behavior changes in user management orprivilege features between current and target firmware versions

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

Fix this in Bluefield 1 Firmware Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
14.0 hours of engineering $2,480
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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-2023-25519 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