dbcve.org
ArubaosOperating system · Arubanetworks

CVE-2023-38486

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
A vulnerability in the secure boot implementation on affected Aruba 9200 and 9000 Series Controllers and Gateways allows an attacker to bypass security controls which would normally prohibit unsigned kernel images from executing. An attacker can use this vulnerability to execute arbitrary runtime operating systems, including unverified and unsigned OS images.

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

A secure boot bypass vulnerability in Aruba 9200 and 9000 Series Controllers and Gateways allows an attacker to circumvent security controls that normally prevent unsigned kernel images from executing, enabling execution of arbitrary and unverified operating system images.

MitigationApply the vendor-supplied firmware update that addresses the secure boot bypass. Verify that unsigned kernel images are properly rejected after patching.

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 the device model
    Log into the Aruba controller/gateway CLI or web interface and check the hardware model. Look for '9200' or '9000' series identifiers in the system information or show version output.
    Affected if The device is not an Aruba 9200 or 9000 Series Controller or Gateway (other models are not affected by this specific CVE).
  2. Determine the installed ArubaOS version
    Execute 'show version' in the CLI or check the system info page in the web interface. Note the full software version number (for example, 8.10.0.5).
    Affected if The installed version falls within any of these ranges: 8.6.0.0 to 8.6.0.21, 8.10.0.0 to 8.10.0.6, 8.11.0.0 to 8.11.1.0, or 10.4.0.0 to 10.4.0.1.
  3. Check if secure boot is enabled
    Execute 'show secure-boot status' or look for secure boot configuration in the web interface under system settings or boot options. Note whether it reports as enabled or disabled.
    Affected if Secure boot is disabled, as this is the condition that allows the bypass vulnerability to be exploited.
  4. Inspect for unsigned or unverified kernel images
    Use 'show boot-image' or 'show flash' to list installed boot images. Check for any images marked as unverified, invalid signature, or unsigned in the output.
    Affected if Unsigned, unverified, or invalidly signed kernel images are present on the device, indicating potential exploitation attempt or successful bypass of secure boot controls.

The environment is affected if the device is an Aruba 9200 or 9000 Series running a version within the affected ranges AND secure boot is disabled or unsigned kernel images are present on the system.

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-supplied firmware update that addresses the secure boot bypass. Verify that unsigned kernel images are properly rejected after patching.

Recommended fix High confidence

ArubaOS 8.6.0.22, 8.10.0.7, 8.11.1.1, or 10.4.0.2 (or later versions within each respective branch)

  1. 1. Identify the current ArubaOS version by navigating to the controller's WebUI or using CLI command 'show version'
  2. 2. Determine which version branch is currently running (8.6.x, 8.10.x, 8.11.x, or 10.4.x)
  3. 3. Download the appropriate fixed ArubaOS version from Aruba Support Portal or Aruba Customer Portal
  4. 4. Back up the current configuration using 'write memory' and backup the configuration file externally
  5. 5. Upload the new ArubaOS image via WebUI (Maintenance > Software > Upload) or via CLI using 'copy tftp: or copy scp: commands
  6. 6. Verify the image integrity by checking the MD5/SHA256 checksum provided by Aruba
  7. 7. Boot the new image using 'reload' command or via WebUI (Maintenance > Software > Reboot)
  8. 8. After reboot, verify the new version is running with 'show version' and confirm the security fix is applied
Caveat Firmware upgrades may require downtime and could introduce compatibility issues with existing configurations or third-party integrations; always test in a non-production environment first

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

Fix this in Arubaos Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA3.0 h
15.0 hours of engineering $2,560
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $4,096.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2023-38486 — 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-2023-38486 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