Model 3 FirmwareOperating system · Tesla

CVE-2023-32157

HIGH · 7.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2024-05-03
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
No privileges 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
Tesla Model 3 bsa_server BIP Heap-based Buffer Overflow Arbitrary Code Execution Vulnerability. This vulnerability allows network-adjacent attackers to execute arbitrary code on affected Tesla Model 3 vehicles. An attacker must first obtain the ability to pair a malicious Bluetooth device with the target system in order to exploit this vulnerability. The specific flaw exists within the bsa_server process. The issue results from the lack of proper validation of the length of user-supplied data prior to copying it to a fixed-length heap-based buffer. An attacker can leverage this vulnerability to execute code in the context of an unprivileged user in a sandboxed process. . Was ZDI-CAN-20737.

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

Heap-based buffer overflow in Tesla Model 3 bsa_server process due to lack of proper validation of user-supplied data length before copying to a fixed-length heap buffer. Exploitation requires pairing a malicious Bluetooth device with the target vehicle, enabling arbitrary code execution in the context of an unprivileged user in a sandboxed process.

MitigationApply Tesla vehicle software updates to patch the bsa_server vulnerability; no practical workarounds exist for this embedded system flaw requiring OTA firmware 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
Model 3 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:= 2023.6

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
Adjacent
Complexity
High
Privileges
None
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:A/AC:H/PR:N/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 vehicle firmware version
    Access the vehicle's info screen via the central touchscreen: tap 'Controls' > 'Software' to view the current firmware version number
    Affected if The displayed firmware version is exactly 2023.6
  2. Verify Bluetooth functionality
    Check if Bluetooth is enabled on the vehicle: go to 'Controls' > 'Bluetooth' and see if the toggle is active
    Affected if Bluetooth is currently enabled on the vehicle
  3. Inspect paired Bluetooth devices
    In the same Bluetooth menu, review the list of paired devices to see if any unknown or suspicious devices are connected
    Affected if There are untrusted or unrecognized Bluetooth devices paired to the vehicle
  4. Confirm bsa_server process status
    Access the vehicle's diagnostic interface (if available through service mode) and check for the bsa_server process running under the Bluetooth stack
    Affected if The bsa_server process is active and running

A Tesla Model 3 vehicle is affected if it is running firmware version 2023.6 with Bluetooth enabled and has a malicious Bluetooth device capable of being paired with the vehicle.

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.

From vendor data
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Apply Tesla vehicle software updates to patch the bsa_server vulnerability; no practical workarounds exist for this embedded system flaw requiring OTA firmware deployment.

Fix this in Model 3 Firmware Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation6.0 h
  • Implementation10.0 h
  • Testing16.0 h
  • Review / QA8.0 h
40.0 hours of engineering $6,840
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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-2023-32157 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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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
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