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UnidataApplication · Rocketsoftware

CVE-2023-28501

CRITICAL · 9.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2023-03-29
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to after 12.2.1 or later.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
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
Rocket Software UniData versions prior to 8.2.4 build 3003 and UniVerse versions prior to 11.3.5 build 1001 or 12.2.1 build 2002 suffer from a heap-based buffer overflow in the unirpcd daemon that, if successfully exploited, can lead to remote code execution as the root user.

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 heap-based buffer overflow vulnerability exists in the Rocket Software UniData and UniVerse unirpcd daemon. By sending specially crafted requests to the daemon, an unauthenticated remote attacker can overflow heap memory and execute arbitrary code with root privileges.

MitigationUpgrade UniData to version 8.2.4 build 3003 or later, or UniVerse to version 11.3.5 build 1001 / 12.2.1 build 2002 or later. If immediate patching is not possible, consider restricting network access to the unirpcd service or disabling it if not required.

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
UnidataApplication
Affected:<= 8.2.4
UniverseApplication
Affected:<= 11.3.5>= 12.0.0, <= 12.2.1

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
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/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 if UniData or UniVerse is installed
    Look for Rocket Software installation directories or check installed packages using system package managers. Common locations include /opt/rocket or /opt/uv. Check for the presence of UniData or UniVerse binaries and libraries.
    Affected if UniData or UniVerse software is found on the system.
  2. Determine the installed UniData or UniVerse version
    Run the version command for the installed product. For UniData, this may be 'ud -version' or checking a version file in the installation directory. For UniVerse, use 'uv -version' or similar. Compare the version number to the affected ranges: UniData versions <= 8.2.4, UniVerse versions <= 11.3.5 or >= 12.0.0 through 12.2.1.
    Affected if The installed version falls within the affected ranges: UniData <= 8.2.4, or UniVerse <= 11.3.5, or 12.0.0 <= UniVerse <= 12.2.1.
  3. Check if the unirpcd daemon is running
    Use process listing commands such as 'ps aux | grep -i unirpcd' or 'systemctl status unirpcd' to determine if the daemon is active. This daemon is the vulnerable component.
    Affected if The unirpcd process is running on the system.
  4. Verify network exposure of the unirpcd service
    Check which ports the unirpcd daemon is listening on using 'netstat -anp | grep unirpcd' or 'ss -anp | grep unirpcd'. Determine if these ports are accessible from untrusted networks.
    Affected if The unirpcd service is bound to network-accessible ports and reachable from untrusted networks.

The environment is affected if UniData version <= 8.2.4 or UniVerse version <= 11.3.5 or between 12.0.0 and 12.2.1 is installed AND the unirpcd daemon is running and network-accessible.

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 12.2.1
Interim mitigation

Upgrade UniData to version 8.2.4 build 3003 or later, or UniVerse to version 11.3.5 build 1001 / 12.2.1 build 2002 or later. If immediate patching is not possible, consider restricting network access to the unirpcd service or disabling it if not required.

Recommended fix High confidence

UniData 8.2.4 build 3003 or later; UniVerse 11.3.5 build 1001 or 12.2.1 build 2002 or later

  1. 1. Identify the currently installed UniData or UniVerse version and build number using the version command or system documentation.
  2. 2. For UniData users: Upgrade to version 8.2.4 build 3003 or later.
  3. 3. For UniVerse users running 11.x: Upgrade to version 11.3.5 build 1001 or later.
  4. 4. For UniVerse users running 12.x: Upgrade to version 12.2.1 build 2002 or later.
  5. 5. After upgrading, restart the unirpcd daemon to apply the changes.
  6. 6. Verify the new version is running by checking the daemon version.

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

Fix this in Unidata Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA3.0 h
21.0 hours of engineering $3,680
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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-2023-28501 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