dbcve.org
Aspera FaspexApplication · Ibm

CVE-2023-27279

MEDIUM · 6.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2024-04-19
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to after 5.0.7 or later.
See remediation →
71/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
Remotely reachable 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
IBM Aspera Faspex 5.0.0 through 5.0.7 could allow a user to cause a denial of service due to missing API rate limiting. IBM X-Force ID: 248533.

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

IBM Aspera Faspex versions 5.0.0 through 5.0.7 lack API rate limiting controls, allowing attackers or even authenticated users to send excessive API requests. This can exhaust server resources or overwhelm the system, resulting in denial of service for legitimate users.

MitigationApply available patches from IBM for this vulnerability. Until patched, implement API rate limiting at the application level, API gateway, or WAF to restrict excessive requests per user/IP.

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
Aspera FaspexApplication
Affected:>= 5.0.0, <= 5.0.7

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
Low
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
None
Integrity
None
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/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 checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Identify installed IBM Aspera Faspex version
    Locate the Faspex application version through the admin web interface under System > About, or check the product installation directory for a version file. Alternatively, query the API endpoint /api/about if accessible.
    Affected if The displayed version falls within 5.0.0 through 5.0.7 inclusive.
  2. Compare version against CVE affected range
    Verify the installed version number against the affected range: 5.0.0 <= version <= 5.0.7. Any version within this range is affected by the lack of API rate limiting.
    Affected if The installed version is 5.0.0, 5.0.1, 5.0.2, 5.0.3, 5.0.4, 5.0.5, 5.0.6, or 5.0.7.
  3. Inspect API rate limiting configuration
    Examine the Faspex configuration files (typically in /opt/aspera/faspex/config or similar) and the web server configuration for any rate limiting directives. Check if mod_rate_limit (Apache) or nginx rate limit directives are present and active for the Faspex API endpoints.
    Affected if No rate limiting is configured or enforced on the API endpoints, and the version is within the affected range.

You are affected if IBM Aspera Faspex version 5.0.0 through 5.0.7 is installed and API rate limiting controls are not implemented at the application, gateway, or WAF level.

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 a release after 5.0.7
Interim mitigation

Apply available patches from IBM for this vulnerability. Until patched, implement API rate limiting at the application level, API gateway, or WAF to restrict excessive requests per user/IP.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Aspera Faspex version > 5.0.7 (contact IBM for the specific fixed release)

  1. 1. Check the current Aspera Faspex version by accessing the admin interface or running: faspex --version
  2. 2. Back up the current Aspera Faspex configuration and data directory before upgrading
  3. 3. Download the latest Aspera Faspex version from the official IBM Aspera download portal
  4. 4. Stop the Faspex service: systemctl stop faspex or service faspex stop
  5. 5. Install the new version using the standard upgrade procedure: rpm -Uvh faspex-<new-version>.rpm or dpkg -i faspex-<new-version>.deb
  6. 6. Start the Faspex service: systemctl start faspex or service faspex start
  7. 7. Verify the upgrade was successful by checking the version and ensuring the web interface is accessible
  8. 8. Test critical functionality to confirm normal operation
Caveat Review IBM release notes for any configuration or feature changes between 5.0.7 and the target version

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

Fix this in Aspera Faspex Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
17.0 hours of engineering $3,000
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $4,800.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2023-27279 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.

Get it on GitHub Scan in the browser

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-2023-27279 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.

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