CVE-2023-3943
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 · uneditedStack-based Buffer Overflow vulnerability in ZkTeco-based OEM devices allows, in some cases, the execution of arbitrary code. Due to the lack of protection mechanisms such as stack canaries and PIE, it is possible to successfully execute code even under restrictive conditions. This issue affects ZkTeco-based OEM devices (ZkTeco ProFace X, Smartec ST-FR043, Smartec ST-FR041ME and possibly others) with firmware ZAM170-NF-1.8.25-7354-Ver1.0.0 and possibly others.
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 confidenceStack-based buffer overflow in ZkTeco-based OEM biometric devices (ProFace X, Smartec ST-FR043, ST-FR041ME) allows arbitrary code execution. The vulnerability is exploitable due to missing security protections—specifically the absence of stack canaries and Position Independent Execution (PIE)—in firmware version ZAM170-NF-1.8.25-7354-Ver1.0.0 and potentially other versions.
Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.
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
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Changed
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/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 the biometric device modelCheck the device web interface, device label, or manufacturer documentation to determine if the device is ProFace X, Smartec ST-FR043, or ST-FR041MEAffected if Device model matches one of the listed affected products
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Retrieve the firmware versionAccess the device web interface or use the vendor API to query the firmware version informationAffected if Firmware version is ZAM170-NF-1.8.25-7354-Ver1.0.0 or earlier
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Compare firmware version against affected rangeCompare your installed firmware version to the known affected version ZAM170-NF-1.8.25-7354-Ver1.0.0Affected if Installed version is at or below the affected version
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Verify device network accessibilityConfirm the device is reachable on the network and accessible via its management interfaceAffected if Device is network-accessible (required for remote exploitation)
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Check for vendor firmware updatesConsult the vendor website or release notes to see if a newer firmware version beyond ZAM170-NF-1.8.25-7354-Ver1.0.0 is availableAffected if No newer firmware patch is available from the vendor
A user is affected if the device is a ProFace X, ST-FR043, or ST-FR041ME model running firmware version ZAM170-NF-1.8.25-7354-Ver1.0.0 or earlier.
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 firmware patches when available; if no patch exists, implement network segmentation to isolate affected devices and restrict network access to minimize exposure.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing2.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2023-3943 — 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-2023-3943 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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