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Unison SoftwareApplication · Intel

CVE-2023-38131

MEDIUM · 6.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2023-11-14
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 20.14.2.3053 / 20.14.4244 or later.
See remediation →
71/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
Remotely reachable 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
Improper input validationation for some Intel Unison software may allow an authenticated user to potentially enable denial of service via network access.

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

Intel Unison software contains an improper input validation vulnerability that allows an authenticated user to cause a denial of service via network access. The vulnerability stems from insufficient validation of input data, which can be exploited to crash the application or make it unresponsive.

MitigationApply the vendor patch from Intel to address the improper input validation vulnerability in Intel Unison software. Until the patch is available, limit network access to trusted authenticated users and monitor for DoS symptoms.

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
Unison SoftwareApplication
Affected:< 20.14.5683.0< 20.14.4244< 20.14.2.3053

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
Network
Complexity
Low
Privileges
Low
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
None
Integrity
None
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/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. Verify Intel Unison is installed
    Check installed programs or look for Intel Unison in Program Files directory. On Windows, open Control Panel > Programs and Features or use 'Get-ItemProperty' on registry key 'HKLM:\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\*' to find Intel Unison entry.
    Affected if Intel Unison software is present on the system
  2. Determine installed Intel Unison version
    Right-click the Intel Unison application in Programs and Features and select Properties, or check the version information of the main executable file (typically named Unison.exe or similar) in the installation directory.
    Affected if The version number is lower than 20.14.5683.0, 20.14.4244, or 20.14.2.3053 (any version below all three thresholds indicates vulnerability)
  3. Confirm network access feature is enabled
    Intel Unison must have network or remote connectivity functionality enabled for this vulnerability to be exploitable. Check the application settings or configuration for network-related options (such as remote access, sync services, or network listeners).
    Affected if Network access or remote connectivity features are enabled and accessible to authenticated users
  4. Assess user access level
    This vulnerability requires an authenticated user to exploit. Review user accounts that have access to Intel Unison and verify which accounts can log in to the application.
    Affected if There are authenticated user accounts with access to Intel Unison (the vulnerability affects any version in the affected range when users can authenticate)

You are affected if Intel Unison is installed with a version lower than 20.14.5683.0 (or 20.14.4244 or 20.14.2.3053) and network access for authenticated users is enabled.

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 20.14.2.3053 / 20.14.4244 / 20.14.5683.0 or later
Fixed in 20.14.2.305320.14.424420.14.5683.0
Interim mitigation

Apply the vendor patch from Intel to address the improper input validation vulnerability in Intel Unison software. Until the patch is available, limit network access to trusted authenticated users and monitor for DoS symptoms.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Intel Unison version 20.14.5683.0 or later (or the equivalent fixed release for your specific version branch)

  1. 1. Identify the currently installed Intel Unison software version on the affected system.
  2. 2. Download the latest version of Intel Unison from the official Intel support website or through your organization's software distribution channels.
  3. 3. Review the Intel Unison release notes to confirm the installed version is vulnerable (versions prior to 20.14.5683.0, 20.14.4244, or 20.14.2.3053).
  4. 4. Uninstall the current vulnerable version of Intel Unison.
  5. 5. Install the updated Intel Unison version that includes the security fix.
  6. 6. Verify the installation was successful and confirm the new version is running.
Caveat Review Intel Unison release notes for any functional changes between your current version and the upgrade version

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

Fix this in Unison Software Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation8.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
18.0 hours of engineering $3,280
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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-2023-38131 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