CVE-2023-28745
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 · uneditedUncontrolled search path in Intel(R) QSFP+ Configuration Utility software, all versions, may allow an authenticated user to potentially enable escalation of privilege via local access.
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 confidenceThis is an uncontrolled search path (DLL hijacking) vulnerability in Intel's QSFP+ Configuration Utility. An authenticated local user could place a malicious DLL in a directory that the application searches when loading libraries, causing the application to execute the attacker's code with elevated privileges, achieving local privilege escalation.
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 dataall versionsCVSS 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
- Local
- Complexity
- High
- Privileges
- Low
- User interaction
- Required
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:R/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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Check if Intel QSFP+ Configuration Utility is installedSearch for the application executable using system utilities. On Windows, check common installation directories such as C:\Program Files\Intel or C:\Program Files (x86)\Intel, and look for files named QsfpConfigUtility.exe, QSFPConfig.exe, or similar. Also search the Windows Registry under HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall for any entry containing 'QSFP' or 'Intel QSFP'.Affected if The application is present on the system (any version is affected since all versions are vulnerable).
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Identify the application's executable path and directoryLocate the main executable file for the QSFP+ Configuration Utility and note its installation directory. This is typically found in the directory identified in the previous step.Affected if The application executable exists in a directory that is part of the DLL search path.
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Determine the application's DLL search pathReview the application directory and check for any configuration files, manifest files, or dependency information that indicates which directories the application searches when loading DLLs. Also examine the system PATH environment variable and any application-specific path configurations.Affected if The application uses a DLL search path that includes directories writable by non-privileged users.
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Check write permissions on directories in the DLL search pathUsing icacls (Windows) or ls -la (Linux), examine the access control lists on the application directory and all directories in its DLL search path. Identify which directories allow write access for standard users or authenticated users group.Affected if Any directory in the application's DLL search path is writable by a non-privileged user, allowing them to place a malicious DLL.
A user is affected if Intel QSFP+ Configuration Utility is installed and any directory in its DLL search path is writable by non-privileged users, enabling DLL hijacking for privilege escalation.
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.
From vendor dataApply Intel's patch when available; in the interim, remove or restrict write access to directories within the application's DLL search path to prevent an attacker from placing malicious libraries.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing3.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $2,800.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2023-28745 — 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-2023-28745 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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- 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
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