dbcve.org
Unifi Network ApplicationApplication · Ui

CVE-2023-28365

CRITICAL · 9.1 CVSS v3.1 Published 2023-07-01
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 7.4.156 or later.
See remediation →
97/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
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
A backup file vulnerability found in UniFi applications (Version 7.3.83 and earlier) running on Linux operating systems allows application administrators to execute malicious commands on the host device being restored.

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 backup file vulnerability in UniFi applications (version 7.3.83 and earlier) on Linux allows application administrators to execute arbitrary commands on the host system through malicious backup files during the restore process. The restore function does not properly sanitize or validate the backup file contents, enabling embedded commands to be executed with the privileges of the UniFi application.

MitigationUpgrade UniFi applications to a version newer than 7.3.83. Until upgrade is possible, restrict administrative access to the backup/restore functionality and verify the integrity of any backup files before restoration.

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
Unifi Network ApplicationApplication
Affected:< 7.4.156

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
High
User interaction
None
Scope
Changed
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/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. Identify installed UniFi Network Application version on Linux
    Run 'dpkg -l | grep unifi' for Debian-based systems or 'rpm -qa | grep unifi' for RHEL-based systems. Alternatively, check the web UI at System > System Settings > About to locate the version number.
    Affected if The displayed version is lower than 7.4.156 (for example, 7.3.83, 7.4.0, 7.4.1, etc.)
  2. Confirm the application is running on Linux
    Check the operating system with 'uname -a' or 'cat /etc/os-release'. This vulnerability specifically affects UniFi on Linux systems.
    Affected if The operating system is Linux and the UniFi Network Application version is below 7.4.156
  3. Verify backup/restore functionality is accessible
    Log into the UniFi Network Controller web interface and navigate to Settings > System > Backup. Check if the Restore function is available to administrators.
    Affected if The backup/restore interface is accessible and the UniFi version is below 7.4.156, indicating the unpatched restore process is in use
  4. Check UniFi service version file directly
    If installed via package manager, examine /usr/lib/unifi/lib or /var/lib/unifi for version files. Run 'systemctl status unifi' or 'systemctl status unifi-core' to see service details including version information.
    Affected if The service reports a version number less than 7.4.156

If the UniFi Network Application is running on Linux and its installed version is any version prior to 7.4.156, the environment is affected by this backup file command injection vulnerability.

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 7.4.156 or later
Fixed in 7.4.156
Interim mitigation

Upgrade UniFi applications to a version newer than 7.3.83. Until upgrade is possible, restrict administrative access to the backup/restore functionality and verify the integrity of any backup files before restoration.

Recommended fix High confidence

UniFi Network Application 7.4.156 or later

  1. 1. Back up the current UniFi Network Application configuration and data
  2. 2. Download UniFi Network Application version 7.4.156 or later from the official Ubiquiti downloads page
  3. 3. Stop the UniFi Network Application service
  4. 4. Install the updated UniFi Network Application package
  5. 5. Start the UniFi Network Application service
  6. 6. Verify the application is running and accessible
  7. 7. Confirm the version number matches the patched release
Caveat Review Ubiquiti release notes for any configuration or feature changes between your current version and 7.4.156

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

Fix this in Unifi Network Application Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation3.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
8.0 hours of engineering $1,420
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $2,272.

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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-2023-28365 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