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Genian NacApplication · Genians

CVE-2023-40254

CRITICAL · 9.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2023-08-11
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 4.0.156 / 5.0.55 or later.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable No privileges 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
Download of Code Without Integrity Check vulnerability in Genians Genian NAC V4.0, Genians Genian NAC V5.0, Genians Genian NAC Suite V5.0, Genians Genian ZTNA allows Malicious Software Update.This issue affects Genian NAC V4.0: from V4.0.0 through V4.0.155; Genian NAC V5.0: from V5.0.0 through V5.0.42 (Revision 117460); Genian NAC Suite V5.0: from V5.0.0 through V5.0.54; Genian ZTNA: from V6.0.0 through V6.0.15.

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 confidence

A Download of Code Without Integrity Check vulnerability exists in Genian NAC and ZTNA products where the software update mechanism downloads and executes code without verifying its authenticity or integrity, allowing attackers to inject malicious code through man-in-the-middle attacks or compromised update servers.

MitigationUpdate to patched versions beyond V4.0.155, V5.0.42, V5.0.54, and V6.0.15 respectively. Until patched, implement network-level controls to restrict update server communications to authorized sources only.

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
Genian NacApplication
Affected:>= 4.0.0, < 4.0.156>= 5.0.0, < 5.0.55= 5.0.42
Genian ZtnaApplication
Affected:>= 6.0.0, < 6.0.16

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
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/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 if Genian NAC is installed
    Check your system inventory or running services for Genian NAC components. Typically, the management console is accessible via web interface on port 443 or 8443.
    Affected if Genian NAC software is running on the system
  2. Check Genian NAC version
    Log into the Genian NAC management console and navigate to System > Status or Help > About to view the installed version. Alternatively, check the version file on the appliance if shell access is available.
    Affected if Version is 4.0.0 through 4.0.155, 5.0.0 through 5.0.41, or exactly 5.0.42
  3. Identify if Genian ZTNA is installed
    Check your system inventory or running services for Genian ZTNA components. The ZTNA client or gateway services may be running.
    Affected if Genian ZTNA software is running on the system
  4. Check Genian ZTNA version
    Log into the Genian ZTNA management console and navigate to System > Status or Help > About to view the installed version.
    Affected if Version is 6.0.0 through 6.0.15
  5. Check if update mechanism is configured
    In the management console, navigate to System > Update or System > Maintenance > Software Update to see if automatic updates are enabled or if update server settings are configured.
    Affected if Update functionality is enabled or configured, as this is the attack vector for the vulnerability

You are affected if Genian NAC version is 4.0.0-4.0.155, 5.0.0-5.0.41, or 5.0.42, OR Genian ZTNA version is 6.0.0-6.0.15, and the software update feature is or was ever used.

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 4.0.156 / 5.0.55 / 6.0.16 or later
Fixed in 4.0.1565.0.556.0.16
Interim mitigation

Update to patched versions beyond V4.0.155, V5.0.42, V5.0.54, and V6.0.15 respectively. Until patched, implement network-level controls to restrict update server communications to authorized sources only.

Recommended fix High confidence

Genian NAC V4.0 → 4.0.156+ | Genian NAC/NAC Suite V5.0 → 5.0.55+ | Genian ZTNA → 6.0.16+

  1. 1. Identify the currently installed Genian NAC or Ztna version by checking the system administration console or using the CLI command 'show system-info'
  2. 2. For Genian NAC V4.0 users: Plan upgrade to version 4.0.156 or later
  3. 3. For Genian NAC V5.0 or NAC Suite V5.0 users: Plan upgrade to version 5.0.55 or later
  4. 4. For Genian ZTNA users: Plan upgrade to version 6.0.16 or later
  5. 5. Before upgrading, backup the current configuration using the admin console or CLI command 'backup config'
  6. 6. Download the appropriate upgrade package from the official Genians support portal at docs.genians.com
  7. 7. Apply the upgrade following the product-specific upgrade guide documentation
  8. 8. After upgrade, verify the system is operational and confirm the new version is installed
Caveat Review release notes for migration considerations; major version jumps may require additional configuration adjustments

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

Fix this in Genian Nac Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation16.0 h
  • Testing8.0 h
  • Review / QA4.0 h
32.0 hours of engineering $5,600
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $8,960.

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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-2023-40254 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