dbcve.org
EncryptionApplication · Dell

CVE-2023-32479

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2024-02-06
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 11.9.0 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
Dell Encryption, Dell Endpoint Security Suite Enterprise, and Dell Security Management Server versions prior to 11.9.0 contain privilege escalation vulnerability due to improper ACL of the non-default installation directory. A local malicious user could potentially exploit this vulnerability by replacing binaries in installed directory and taking reverse shell of the system leading to Privilege Escalation.

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

Dell Encryption, Dell Endpoint Security Suite Enterprise, and Dell Security Management Server prior to version 11.9.0 have improper Access Control Lists (ACLs) on non-default installation directories. A local malicious user with standard user privileges can replace binaries in the installed directory, and when those binaries are executed by higher-privilege processes, the attacker gains reverse shell access with elevated privileges.

MitigationUpgrade to Dell Security Management Server version 11.9.0 or later. If immediate patching is not possible, verify and harden ACLs on the installation directory to prevent unauthorized modification by non-admin users.

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
EncryptionApplication
Affected:< 11.9.0
Endpoint Security Suite EnterpriseApplication
Affected:< 11.9.0
Security Management ServerApplication
Affected:< 11.9.0

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 installed Dell security product
    Check Windows Programs and Features or registry for Dell Encryption, Dell Endpoint Security Suite Enterprise, or Dell Security Management Server. Look for entries starting with 'Dell Encryption', 'Dell Endpoint Security Suite Enterprise', or 'Dell Security Management Server'.
    Affected if Any of these three Dell products are present on the system
  2. Determine installed version
    Open Programs and Features, locate the Dell product, and note the version in the 'Version' column. Alternatively, check the version from the product's About or Help section within the application.
    Affected if The installed version is any version prior to 11.9.0 (for example, 11.8.0, 11.7.0, etc.)
  3. Identify installation directory
    Right-click the installed product in Programs and Features and select 'Change' or 'Properties' to view the installation location. Note whether this path differs from the default installation path (typically C:\Program Files\Dell\ or C:\Program Files (x86)\Dell\).
    Affected if A non-default installation directory was used, particularly on a different drive or custom folder location
  4. Check write permissions on installation directory
    Right-click the installation folder, select Properties, go to the Security tab, and examine permissions for Users or Standard users. Verify whether 'Users' or non-admin groups have Write or Modify permissions to the folder.
    Affected if Standard users or the 'Users' group have Write, Modify, or Full Control permissions on the installation directory

The system is affected if any Dell Encryption, Dell Endpoint Security Suite Enterprise, or Dell Security Management Server version prior to 11.9.0 is installed using a non-default directory where standard users have write access.

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 11.9.0 or later
Fixed in 11.9.0
Interim mitigation

Upgrade to Dell Security Management Server version 11.9.0 or later. If immediate patching is not possible, verify and harden ACLs on the installation directory to prevent unauthorized modification by non-admin users.

Recommended fix High confidence

11.9.0

  1. Backup all encryption and security configuration data according to Dell backup procedures
  2. Download Dell Encryption/Endpoint Security Suite Enterprise/Security Management Server version 11.9.0 or later from support.dell.com
  3. Follow Dell's standard upgrade documentation to install the updated version
  4. Verify the installation completed successfully and ACLs are properly set on the installation directory
  5. Confirm the version number matches 11.9.0 or later

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

Fix this in Encryption Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA4.0 h
22.0 hours of engineering $3,860
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $6,176.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2023-32479 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.

Get it on GitHub Scan in the browser

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-2023-32479 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.

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