dbcve.org
Emc NetworkerApplication · Dell

CVE-2023-28053

MEDIUM · 5.3 CVSS v3.1 Published 2023-12-18
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 19.8.0.4 / 19.9.0.3 or later.
See remediation →
62/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
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
Dell NetWorker Virtual Edition versions 19.8 and below contain the use of deprecated cryptographic algorithms in the SSH component. A remote unauthenticated attacker could potentially exploit this vulnerability leading to some information disclosure.

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

Dell NetWorker Virtual Edition versions 19.8 and below contain deprecated cryptographic algorithms in the SSH component. A remote unauthenticated attacker could exploit weak SSH cipher suites or algorithms to potentially disclose some information.

MitigationUpdate Dell NetWorker Virtual Edition to a version beyond 19.8 that remediates the deprecated algorithms, or reconfigure the SSH service to disable weak cryptographic algorithms (e.g., disable CBC ciphers, enable only AES-GCM).

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
Emc NetworkerApplication
Affected:< 19.8.0.4>= 19.9, < 19.9.0.3

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
Low
Integrity
None
Availability
None

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:N

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 NetWorker version
    Run 'nsrversion -v' or check the installed package version via the package manager (e.g., 'rpm -qa | grep -i networker' or 'dpkg -l | grep -i networker')
    Affected if The installed version is < 19.8.0.4 OR >= 19.9.0.0 and < 19.9.0.3
  2. Locate SSH service configuration
    Check the SSH daemon configuration file typically at /etc/ssh/sshd_config or within the NetWorker installation directory under etc/ssh/
    Affected if The SSH configuration file exists and is in use by the NetWorker SSH service
  3. Inspect enabled SSH cipher suites
    Look for 'Ciphers' directive in the SSH configuration file. Run 'grep -i ciphers /etc/ssh/sshd_config' or the equivalent path within the NetWorker directory
    Affected if The Ciphers line contains CBC-based ciphers (such as aes128-cbc, aes192-cbc, aes256-cbc, 3des-cbc) OR no Ciphers directive is present (default weak ciphers may apply)
  4. Check for deprecated key exchange algorithms
    Look for 'KexAlgorithms' directive in the SSH configuration. Run 'grep -i kexalgorithms /etc/ssh/sshd_config'
    Affected if The configuration includes diffie-hellman-group1-sha1, diffie-hellman-group14-sha1, or similar deprecated key exchange algorithms
  5. Verify if AES-GCM ciphers are enabled
    Confirm the Ciphers directive includes only AES-GCM variants (e.g., [email protected], [email protected]) and excludes all CBC ciphers
    Affected if AES-GCM ciphers are NOT exclusively listed (weak CBC ciphers remain enabled or no strong cipher restriction is configured)

You are affected if your NetWorker version falls within the vulnerable range AND weak CBC ciphers or deprecated SSH algorithms are enabled in the SSH configuration.

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 19.8.0.4 / 19.9.0.3 or later
Fixed in 19.8.0.419.9.0.3
Interim mitigation

Update Dell NetWorker Virtual Edition to a version beyond 19.8 that remediates the deprecated algorithms, or reconfigure the SSH service to disable weak cryptographic algorithms (e.g., disable CBC ciphers, enable only AES-GCM).

Recommended fix High confidence

19.8.0.4 or later (19.9.x branch: 19.9.0.3 or later)

  1. 1. Identify the current installed version of Dell NetWorker Virtual Edition using the nsrversion command or administrative console
  2. 2. Review the current backup schedule and ensure all critical jobs are completed before upgrade
  3. 3. Create a complete backup of the NetWorker server configuration and database
  4. 4. Download the appropriate fixed version (19.8.0.4 or later, or 19.9.0.3 or later) from Dell support portal at support.dell.com
  5. 5. Stop all NetWorker services on the server using the 'nsr_shutdown' command
  6. 6. Install the upgraded NetWorker package following the Dell upgrade documentation
  7. 7. Verify the upgrade was successful by checking the version with 'nsrversion -v'
  8. 8. Start NetWorker services using the 'nsrd' command

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

Fix this in Emc Networker Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
9.0 hours of engineering $1,600
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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-2023-28053 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