CVE-2023-28864
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 · uneditedProgress Chef Infra Server before 15.7 allows a local attacker to exploit a /var/opt/opscode/local-mode-cache/backup world-readable temporary backup path to access sensitive information, resulting in the disclosure of all indexed node data, because OpenSearch credentials are exposed. (The data typically includes credentials for additional systems.) The attacker must wait for an admin to run the "chef-server-ctl reconfigure" command.
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 confidenceChef Infra Server before 15.7 creates world-readable temporary backup files in /var/opt/opscode/local-mode-cache/backup during the 'chef-server-ctl reconfigure' command, exposing OpenSearch credentials and all indexed node data including stored system credentials to local attackers.
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>= 12.0.0, < 15.7.0CVSS 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
- None
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N
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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Determine Chef Infra Server versionRun 'chef-server-ctl version' or check the installed package versionAffected if Version is 12.0.0 or higher but below 15.7.0
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Verify backup directory existsCheck if /var/opt/opscode/local-mode-cache/backup directory is present on the systemAffected if The directory exists and the server version is in the affected range
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Inspect backup directory permissionsRun 'ls -la /var/opt/opscode/local-mode-cache/backup' to view directory permissionsAffected if Directory shows world-readable permissions (drwxrwxrwx or similar)
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Check for world-readable backup filesRun 'ls -la /var/opt/opscode/local-mode-cache/backup' to list files and their permission bitsAffected if Any files in the directory are readable by all users (permissions include 'r--r--r--' or similar)
You are affected if running Chef Infra Server version 12.0.0 through 15.6.x and the backup directory contains files with world-readable permissions.
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 · scoped15.7.0
Upgrade to Chef Infra Server 15.7 or later to resolve the insecure temporary file handling, or restrict filesystem permissions on the backup directory.
Chef Infra Server 15.7.0 or later
- 1. Create a full backup of the Chef Infra Server data, including /etc/opscode and /var/opt/opscode directories.
- 2. Download Chef Infra Server version 15.7.0 or later from the official Chef software repository.
- 3. Install the new package using your system's package manager (e.g., rpm or deb package).
- 4. Run 'chef-server-ctl reconfigure' to apply the configuration with the new version.
- 5. Verify the upgrade was successful by checking the version with 'chef-server-ctl version'.
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation3.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing2.0 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 $2,880.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2023-28864 — 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-2023-28864 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
- No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data