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ArubaosOperating system · Arubanetworks

CVE-2023-38485

MEDIUM · 6.4 CVSS v3.1 Published 2023-09-06
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 8.6.0.22 / 8.10.0.7 or later.
See remediation →
66/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
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
Vulnerabilities exist in the BIOS implementation of Aruba 9200 and 9000 Series Controllers and Gateways that could allow an attacker to execute arbitrary code early in the boot sequence. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability to gain access to and change underlying sensitive information in the affected controller leading to complete system compromise.

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

This CVE describes vulnerabilities in the BIOS implementation of Aruba 9200 and 9000 Series Controllers and Gateways. The flaw allows an attacker to execute arbitrary code during the early boot sequence, providing a highly privileged position from which they can access and modify sensitive system information, potentially leading to complete device compromise.

MitigationApply the vendor-provided BIOS/firmware patch from Aruba Networks. Until patched, implement network segmentation and monitor for signs of physical or local access attempts, as exploitation requires some level of proximity or local access.

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
ArubaosOperating system
Affected:>= 8.6.0.0, < 8.6.0.22>= 8.10.0.0, < 8.10.0.7>= 8.11.0.0, < 8.11.1.1>= 10.4.0.0, < 10.4.0.2

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

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:H/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 your Aruba device model
    Locate the model number on the device chassis or access it via the CLI using 'show version' or 'show inventory'. Confirm it is an Aruba 9200 Series or 9000 Series Controller or Gateway.
    Affected if The device is an Aruba 9200 or 9000 Series Controller/Gateway.
  2. Determine the installed ArubaOS version
    Access the device CLI and run 'show version' or 'show controller-info' to retrieve the current ArubaOS firmware version. Record the full version string (for example, 8.6.0.0-2.0.0.0).
    Affected if The device runs an ArubaOS version that matches the affected ranges.
  3. Compare your version against CVE-2023-38485 affected ranges
    Using the version identified in step 2, compare it to the following affected ranges: 8.6.0.0 through 8.6.0.21 (versions before 8.6.0.22), 8.10.0.0 through 8.10.0.6 (versions before 8.10.0.7), 8.11.0.0 through 8.11.1.0 (versions before 8.11.1.1), and 10.4.0.0 through 10.4.0.1 (versions before 10.4.0.2).
    Affected if Your installed version falls within any of these ranges: >= 8.6.0.0 and < 8.6.0.22; >= 8.10.0.0 and < 8.10.0.7; >= 8.11.0.0 and < 8.11.1.1; >= 10.4.0.0 and < 10.4.0.2.
  4. Check the BIOS/firmware version
    If available in the CLI, run 'show boot' or 'show bios version' to confirm the BIOS firmware level. Alternatively, access the device WebUI under Maintenance > Firmware to view the installed BIOS version.
    Affected if The BIOS firmware has not been updated to the patched version provided by Aruba Networks.
  5. Verify physical or local access exposure
    Assess whether the device is located in a secured area with controlled physical access. Determine if untrusted individuals could gain proximity or local console access to the device.
    Affected if The device is in an area with unrestricted physical access or limited monitoring, which increases exploitation feasibility.

You are affected by CVE-2023-38485 if your device is an Aruba 9200 or 9000 Series running ArubaOS version 8.6.0.0-8.6.0.21, 8.10.0.0-8.10.0.6, 8.11.0.0-8.11.1.0, or 10.4.0.0-10.4.0.1, and the BIOS has not been patched.

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 8.6.0.22 / 8.10.0.7 / 8.11.1.1 or later
Fixed in 8.6.0.228.10.0.78.11.1.1
Interim mitigation

Apply the vendor-provided BIOS/firmware patch from Aruba Networks. Until patched, implement network segmentation and monitor for signs of physical or local access attempts, as exploitation requires some level of proximity or local access.

Recommended fix High confidence

ArubaOS 8.6.0.22 or later (8.6.x branch), 8.10.0.7 or later (8.10.x branch), 8.11.1.1 or later (8.11.x branch), or 10.4.0.2 or later (10.4.x branch)

  1. Contact Aruba Networks support or log into the Aruba customer portal to obtain the BIOS/firmware update
  2. Download the ArubaOS version that corresponds to your current branch and meets or exceeds the fixed version (8.6.0.22, 8.10.0.7, 8.11.1.1, or 10.4.0.2)
  3. Review the Aruba upgrade guide and release notes for your specific controller model
  4. Schedule a maintenance window as BIOS/firmware updates may require controller reboot
  5. Upload the new ArubaOS image to the controller via WebUI or CLI
  6. Follow Aruba's documented BIOS/firmware update procedure for your 9200 or 9000 Series controller
  7. Verify the controller is running the patched ArubaOS version after the update completes
Caveat BIOS/firmware updates may require controller downtime; ensure proper backup of configuration and review Aruba migration guides before upgrading between major branches

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

Fix this in Arubaos Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation6.0 h
  • Implementation12.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA4.0 h
28.0 hours of engineering $4,980
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Scan for this in your stack

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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-2023-38485 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
  • No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data