CVE-2023-38102
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 · uneditedNETGEAR ProSAFE Network Management System createUser Missing Authorization Privilege Escalation Vulnerability. This vulnerability allows remote attackers to escalate privileges on affected installations of NETGEAR ProSAFE Network Management System. Although authentication is required to exploit this vulnerability, the existing authentication mechanism can be bypassed. The specific flaw exists within the createUser function. The issue results from the lack of authorization prior to allowing access to functionality. An attacker can leverage this vulnerability to escalate privileges to resources normally protected from the user. Was ZDI-CAN-19726.
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 confidenceMissing authorization in the createUser function of NETGEAR ProSAFE Network Management System allows authenticated attackers (or those who can bypass authentication) to create new user accounts with elevated privileges, enabling privilege escalation to resources normally protected from standard 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< 1.7.0.20CVSS 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.
-
Check the installed Netgear ProSAFE NMS versionAccess the management console or check the application About/Version page. Typically found under Help > About or System > Version in the web interface.Affected if The installed version is lower than 1.7.0.20 (e.g., 1.6.x, 1.5.x, etc.)
-
Verify if the management interface is externally accessibleDetermine if the NMS web portal (typically ports 80/443 or custom HTTP/HTTPS ports) is reachable from untrusted networks. Check firewall rules and NAT configurations.Affected if The management interface is exposed to the internet or untrusted LAN segments without proper access controls
-
Audit existing user accounts for unauthorized additionsLog into the NMS admin console and navigate to User Management or Administration > Users. Review the list of all registered users and their privilege levels.Affected if Unexpected user accounts exist that were not created by authorized administrators, especially accounts with administrative or elevated privileges
-
Review audit and system logs for user creation eventsExamine NMS logs (typically found in the logs directory or via the web interface under Administration > Logs) for events indicating user account creation, particularly those initiated by standard or low-privilege users.Affected if Log entries show user accounts created by non-administrative accounts or at times/actions not initiated by known administrators
You are affected if the NMS version is below 1.7.0.20 AND the management interface is accessible to untrusted users, or if unauthorized elevated-privilege accounts are found in the system.
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.
dbcve · scoped1.7.0.20
Apply the vendor-supplied patch for CVE-2023-38102. If unavailable, implement network access controls to limit exposure of the management interface and monitor for unauthorized user account creation.
1.7.0.20 or later
- Upgrade NETGEAR ProSAFE Network Management System to version 1.7.0.20 or later
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation3.0 h
- Implementation6.0 h
- Testing5.0 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 $4,752.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2023-38102 — 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-2023-38102 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
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.
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.
- 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