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Brocade Fabric Operating SystemOperating system · Broadcom

CVE-2023-31432

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2023-08-02
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 9.1.1c 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
Through manipulation of passwords or other variables, using commands such as portcfgupload, configupload, license, myid, a non-privileged user could obtain root privileges in Brocade Fabric OS versions before Brocade Fabric OS v9.1.1c and v9.2.0.

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

This is a privilege escalation vulnerability in Brocade Fabric OS where non-privileged users can manipulate passwords or other variables through specific commands (portcfgupload, configupload, license, myid) to gain root privileges. The vulnerability exists in versions prior to v9.1.1c and v9.2.0.

MitigationUpgrade Brocade Fabric OS to v9.1.1c, v9.2.0, or later to remediate this vulnerability. In the interim, restrict access to the affected commands and monitor for unauthorized privilege escalation attempts.

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
Brocade Fabric Operating SystemOperating system
Affected:< 9.1.1c

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. Check Fabric OS version
    Run the command 'version' or 'firmwareShow' to display the current Fabric OS version
    Affected if The version displayed is earlier than 9.1.1c or earlier than 9.2.0 (for example, 9.1.0, 9.0.x, 8.x releases)
  2. Identify user roles with command access
    Use 'userConfig --show' or 'roleConfig --show' to list users and their assigned roles or permission levels
    Affected if Non-privileged users (such as those with 'user' or 'operator' roles) have access to the portcfgupload, configupload, license, or myid commands
  3. Review command permissions for vulnerable utilities
    Run 'help' or consult Fabric OS documentation to verify which roles can execute portcfgupload, configupload, license, and myid commands. Check if any user role below admin has access to these commands
    Affected if Users without administrative privileges can execute any of the four affected commands (portcfgupload, configupload, license, myid)
  4. Audit recent command execution logs
    Review Fabric OS audit logs or run 'auditLog --show' to look for recent executions of portcfgupload, configupload, license, or myid commands by non-admin accounts
    Affected if Non-privileged users have recently run any of the affected commands, particularly those manipulating passwords or configuration variables

You are affected if your Fabric OS version is below 9.1.1c (or below 9.2.0) AND non-privileged users have access to execute the portcfgupload, configupload, license, or myid commands.

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 9.1.1c or later
Fixed in 9.1.1c
Interim mitigation

Upgrade Brocade Fabric OS to v9.1.1c, v9.2.0, or later to remediate this vulnerability. In the interim, restrict access to the affected commands and monitor for unauthorized privilege escalation attempts.

Recommended fix High confidence

Brocade Fabric OS v9.1.1c or v9.2.0 (or later)

  1. 1. Identify the current Brocade Fabric OS version using the 'version' or 'firmwareShow' command
  2. 2. Download the fixed firmware (v9.1.1c or v9.2.0 or later) from the Broadcom Support Portal (support.broadcom.com)
  3. 3. Schedule a maintenance window as upgrades may require downtime
  4. 4. Upload the firmware to the switch using 'firmwareDownload' or 'firmwareInstall' command
  5. 5. Verify the upgrade completed successfully using 'version' command
  6. 6. Confirm the running version is v9.1.1c or higher, or v9.2.0 or higher
  7. 7. Test that the affected commands (portcfgupload, configupload, license, myid) no longer allow privilege escalation
Caveat Standard Fabric OS upgrade considerations apply: ensure backup of configuration, verify compatibility with connected fabric devices, and plan for potential rollback if issues occur

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

Fix this in Brocade Fabric Operating System Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
12.0 hours of engineering $2,130
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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-2023-31432 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