CVE-2023-36628
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 · uneditedA flaw exists in VASA which allows users with access to a vSphere/ESXi VMware admin on a FlashArray to gain root access through 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 · moderate confidenceA privilege escalation vulnerability in VASA (vSphere API for Storage Awareness) on FlashArray allows users with VMware administrator-level access on the FlashArray to gain root-level system privileges. The vulnerability stems from improper authorization validation in VASA that fails to properly restrict elevated operations.
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>= 6.1.0, <= 6.3.11>= 6.4.0, <= 6.4.5CVSS 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
- Network
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges
- Low
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Identify FlashArray VASA deploymentDetermine if your environment includes Pure Storage FlashArray systems with VASA (vSphere API for Storage Awareness) enabled. VASA is typically configured through the FlashArray management interface or vCenter integration.Affected if FlashArray with VASA is present in the environment
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Check Purity//fa versionLocate the installed Purity//fa firmware version on the FlashArray. This is usually visible in the FlashArray GUI under System or in the CLI using 'pureadm list' or similar version display command.Affected if Version falls within 6.1.0 to 6.3.11 or 6.4.0 to 6.4.5 inclusive
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Verify VASA provider configurationCheck if VASA providers are registered with vCenter and connected to the FlashArray. This is typically done through the vCenter Web Client or FlashArray management UI under VASA settings.Affected if VASA provider is registered and showing as connected
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Audit VMware administrator access to FlashArrayReview which users hold VMware administrator-level credentials and have been granted access to the FlashArray. Check FlashArray user management or vCenter permissions tied to the FlashArray storage objects.Affected if Any VMware administrator-level account has access to the FlashArray
You are affected if you run a vulnerable Purity//fa version (6.1.0-6.3.11 or 6.4.0-6.4.5) with VASA enabled and any VMware administrator has FlashArray access.
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.
From vendor dataApply vendor-supplied patches for VASA/FlashArray when available; restrict VMware admin access to FlashArray to trusted personnel only and audit permissions until a patch is deployed.
- Consultation6.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing4.0 h
- Review / QA3.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $6,048.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2023-36628 — 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-2023-36628 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
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