CVE-2023-28078
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 · uneditedDell OS10 Networking Switches running 10.5.2.x and above contain a vulnerability with zeroMQ when VLT is configured. A remote unauthenticated attacker could potentially exploit this vulnerability leading to information disclosure and a possible Denial of Service when a huge number of requests are sent to the switch. This is a high severity vulnerability as it allows an attacker to view sensitive data. Dell recommends customers to upgrade at the earliest opportunity.
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 confidenceDell OS10 networking switches running version 10.5.2.x and above contain a vulnerability in the zeroMQ messaging library when Virtual Link Trunking (VLT) is configured. A remote unauthenticated attacker can send specially crafted requests to the switch, potentially leading to disclosure of sensitive information and denial of service conditions under high request volumes.
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>= 10.5.2.0, < 10.5.2.12>= 10.5.3.0, < 10.5.3.8>= 10.5.4.0, < 10.5.4.8= 10.5.5.0= 10.5.5.1= 10.5.5.2= 10.5.5.3CVSS 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
- High
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/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 the OS10 versionRun 'show version' or 'show system' on the Dell OS10 switch CLI to retrieve the installed software versionAffected if The installed version is 10.5.2.0 through 10.5.2.11, 10.5.3.0 through 10.5.3.7, 10.5.4.0 through 10.5.4.7, or 10.5.5.0 through 10.5.5.3
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Check if VLT is configuredRun 'show vlt' or 'show vlt detail' on the OS10 switch to determine if Virtual Link Trunking is enabledAffected if VLT is configured and showing as active on the switch
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Confirm zeroMQ is in useCheck that the VLT peer link is operational and zeroMQ messaging is active between VLT peersAffected if VLT is operational and zeroMQ is being used for inter-peer communication
A switch is affected if it runs an OS10 version within the specified ranges AND has VLT configuration enabled, making both version and VLT status required for exposure to this vulnerability.
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.
dbcve · scoped10.5.2.1210.5.3.810.5.4.8
Dell recommends upgrading to the latest OS10 version as soon as possible. Organizations should prioritize patching switches with VLT configuration enabled and consider network segmentation or access controls as an interim measure.
Upgrade to OS10 version 10.5.2.12 or later (for 10.5.2.x), 10.5.3.8 or later (for 10.5.3.x), 10.5.4.8 or later (for 10.5.4.x), or the next release after 10.5.5.0
- 1. Identify the current SmartFabric OS10 version running on affected switches using 'show version' command
- 2. Determine which version branch is currently deployed (10.5.2.x, 10.5.3.x, 10.5.4.x, or 10.5.5.0)
- 3. Download the appropriate fixed OS10 version from Dell support: 10.5.2.12 or later for 10.5.2.x, 10.5.3.8 or later for 10.5.3.x, 10.5.4.8 or later for 10.5.4.x, or a version after 10.5.5.0
- 4. Schedule a maintenance window as upgrades require downtime
- 5. Back up current switch configuration
- 6. Upload the new OS10 image to the switch
- 7. Set the new boot image and reboot the switch
- 8. Verify the new version is running post-upgrade using 'show version'
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation8.0 h
- Implementation12.0 h
- Testing6.0 h
- Review / QA4.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2023-28078 — 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-2023-28078 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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- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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