dbcve.org
NetbackupApplication · Veritas

CVE-2023-28759

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2023-03-23
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 10.0 or later.
See remediation →
80/100
Remediation priority · High
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
An issue was discovered in Veritas NetBackup before 10.0 on Windows. A vulnerability in the way the client validates the path to a DLL prior to loading may allow a lower-level user to elevate privileges and compromise the system.

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

Veritas NetBackup client for Windows fails to properly validate DLL paths before loading, allowing an authenticated low-privilege user to plant a malicious DLL and execute arbitrary code with elevated privileges. This is a DLL hijacking/planting privilege escalation vulnerability affecting versions prior to 10.0.

MitigationUpgrade Veritas NetBackup client to version 10.0 or later on all Windows systems. Apply the update following Veritas release notes and ensure proper testing in a staging environment before production deployment.

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
NetbackupApplication
Affected:< 10.0

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
Local
Complexity
Low
Privileges
Low
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/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 Veritas NetBackup client is installed
    Open Control Panel > Programs and Features, or run 'Get-ItemProperty HKLM:\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\* | Select-Object DisplayName, DisplayVersion' in PowerShell to list installed programs
    Affected if Veritas NetBackup or NetBackup client appears in the installed programs list
  2. Determine the installed NetBackup version
    Check the version in Programs and Features, or inspect the NetBackup client binary version by locating the installation directory (typically C:\Program Files\Veritas\NetBackup) and right-clicking the main executable to view Properties > Details
    Affected if The version number is below 10.0 (for example, 9.x, 8.x, etc.)
  3. Verify NetBackup services are running
    Open Services (services.msc) and look for services starting with 'NetBackup' or 'Veritas', or run 'Get-Service | Where-Object {$_.DisplayName -like "*NetBackup*"}' in PowerShell
    Affected if Any NetBackup services are in a Running state, as the DLL loading occurs during service execution
  4. Check for low-privilege user access to NetBackup directories
    Right-click the NetBackup installation folder (typically C:\Program Files\Veritas\NetBackup), select Properties > Security, and verify if standard users or authenticated users have Write or Modify permissions
    Affected if Low-privilege users have Write or Modify access to any NetBackup program directories where DLLs could be planted

You are affected if NetBackup client version is below 10.0, the service is running, and low-privilege users have write access to NetBackup directories where they could plant a malicious DLL.

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 10.0 or later
Fixed in 10.0
Interim mitigation

Upgrade Veritas NetBackup client to version 10.0 or later on all Windows systems. Apply the update following Veritas release notes and ensure proper testing in a staging environment before production deployment.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

NetBackup 10.0 or later

  1. Verify current NetBackup version by checking the installed version in Programs and Features or using 'bpcd -version'
  2. Download NetBackup 10.0 or later from Veritas Support Portal (www.veritas.com)
  3. Review Veritas NetBackup 10.0 release notes for upgrade prerequisites and compatibility requirements
  4. Create a full backup of the NetBackup configuration and database before upgrading
  5. Stop all NetBackup services on the Windows client/server
  6. Run the NetBackup 10.0 installer with administrative privileges
  7. Follow the installation wizard to complete the upgrade
  8. Restart NetBackup services after installation completes

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

Fix this in Netbackup Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
10.0 hours of engineering $1,750
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $2,800.

Scan for this in your stack

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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-2023-28759 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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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