dbcve.org
Fabric Operating SystemOperating system · Broadcom

CVE-2023-31425

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2023-08-01
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
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
A vulnerability in the fosexec command of Brocade Fabric OS after Brocade Fabric OS v9.1.0 and, before Brocade Fabric OS v9.1.1 could allow a local authenticated user to perform privilege escalation to root by breaking the rbash shell. Starting with Fabric OS v9.1.0, “root” account access is disabled.

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 vulnerability in the fosexec command of Brocade Fabric OS allows a local authenticated user to perform privilege escalation to root by breaking the restricted bash (rbash) shell. This affects versions after v9.1.0 and before v9.1.1, exploiting how the rbash shell is implemented in the fosexec command.

MitigationUpgrade to Brocade Fabric OS v9.1.1 or later to patch the rbash shell escape vulnerability and prevent 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 data
Fabric Operating SystemOperating system
Affected:= 9.1.0

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 Fabric OS version
    Run 'version' or 'firmwareShow' command to display the installed Fabric OS version
    Affected if Version displayed is 9.1.0 (specifically listed as affected)
  2. Check if fosexec command exists
    Attempt to run 'fosexec' or locate it via 'which fosexec' or 'ls /usr/bin/fosexec'
    Affected if The fosexec command exists and is accessible on the system
  3. Verify user has access to fosexec
    Attempt to execute fosexec as a local authenticated user to confirm access
    Affected if User can invoke fosexec and the command executes, indicating the rbash shell is in use
  4. Confirm version is vulnerable
    Compare your Fabric OS version against the affected range: versions before v9.1.1
    Affected if Running any version from 9.1.0 up to but not including 9.1.1

You are affected if you are running Brocade Fabric OS version 9.1.0 and have authenticated local user access to the fosexec command which uses a restricted bash (rbash) shell that can be escaped for privilege escalation.

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
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Upgrade to Brocade Fabric OS v9.1.1 or later to patch the rbash shell escape vulnerability and prevent privilege escalation.

Recommended fix High confidence

Fabric OS v9.1.1

  1. 1. Back up the current Fabric OS configuration to ensure data preservation.
  2. 2. Download the Fabric OS v9.1.1 firmware from the Broadcom support portal (support.broadcom.com).
  3. 3. Upload the firmware to the Fabric OS device using the firmware download command or web management interface.
  4. 4. Verify the firmware upload integrity using the checksum provided by Broadcom.
  5. 5. Apply the firmware upgrade to the active partition using the firmwareInstall or equivalent command.
  6. 6. Reboot the device to complete the upgrade process.
  7. 7. After reboot, verify the new version is running using the version command.
  8. 8. Validate that the fosexec command now properly restricts privileges and the rbash shell cannot be broken.
Caveat Standard firmware upgrade risks apply - ensure backups are current and plan for brief downtime

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

Fix this in Fabric Operating System Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
10.0 hours of engineering $1,770
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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-2023-31425 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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What this is

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What belongs here
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  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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