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ExosOperating system · Extremenetworks

CVE-2023-43120

HIGH · 8.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2023-10-16
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 22.7 / 31.7.1 or later.
See remediation →
94/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
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
An issue discovered in Extreme Networks Switch Engine (EXOS) before 32.5.1.5, before 22.7 and before 31.7.1 allows attackers to gain escalated privileges via crafted HTTP request.

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 privilege escalation vulnerability exists in the Extreme Networks EXOS switch web management interface. Attackers can send crafted HTTP requests to gain elevated privileges, likely by exploiting insufficient authorization validation in the HTTP service. The vulnerability is network-exploitable and affects multiple EXOS versions prior to 22.7, 31.7.1, and 32.5.1.5.

MitigationUpgrade EXOS to version 22.7 or later, 31.7.1 or later, or 32.5.1.5 or later. Until patched, restrict access to the management HTTP interface to trusted networks or disable HTTP management entirely if SSH is available.

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
ExosOperating system
Affected:< 22.7>= 31.0, < 31.7.1>= 32.0, < 32.5.1.5

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
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/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 EXOS version
    Log into the switch CLI and run 'show version' or 'show switch' to display the installed EXOS firmware version
    Affected if The displayed version is less than 22.7, or between 31.0 and 31.7.1, or between 32.0 and 32.5.1.5
  2. Confirm HTTP management is enabled
    Run 'show management' or 'show http' to check if the HTTP web management interface is currently enabled on the switch
    Affected if HTTP management is enabled and the EXOS version falls within the affected ranges
  3. Check management access controls
    Run 'show ip-management' or review the current access list configuration to determine if HTTP management is exposed to untrusted networks
    Affected if HTTP management is accessible from networks that are not explicitly trusted

The environment is affected if the switch runs an EXOS version less than 22.7, between 31.0-31.7.1, or between 32.0-32.5.1.5 AND the HTTP management interface is enabled and reachable.

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 22.7 / 31.7.1 / 32.5.1.5 or later
Fixed in 22.731.7.132.5.1.5
Interim mitigation

Upgrade EXOS to version 22.7 or later, 31.7.1 or later, or 32.5.1.5 or later. Until patched, restrict access to the management HTTP interface to trusted networks or disable HTTP management entirely if SSH is available.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

EXOS 22.7 or later for 22.x branch; EXOS 31.7.1 or later for 31.x branch; EXOS 32.5.1.5 or later for 32.x branch

  1. 1. Identify the current EXOS version by running 'show version' or 'show switch' on the switch
  2. 2. Determine which upgrade path applies based on your current major version branch (22.x, 31.x, or 32.x)
  3. 3. Download the appropriate fixed EXOS image from the Extreme Networks support portal (extreme-networks.my.site.com) - ensure you select 22.7 or later, 31.7.1 or later, or 32.5.1.5 or later
  4. 4. Transfer the new EXOS image to the switch using TFTP, SCP, or USB as appropriate for your environment
  5. 5. Verify the image integrity using checksum verification if supported
  6. 6. Install the new EXOS image following standard Extreme Networks upgrade procedures (typically 'install image <filename>' or using SummitStack/Universal Hardware instructions)
  7. 7. Reboot the switch to apply the new image
  8. 8. After reboot, verify the new version is running with 'show version'
Caveat Review Extreme Networks release notes for your target version to check for any configuration or feature changes that may require adjustment

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

Fix this in Exos Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
18.0 hours of engineering $3,200
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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-2023-43120 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