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Ideacentre C5 14imb05 FirmwareOperating system · Lenovo

CVE-2023-43577

MEDIUM · 6.7 CVSS v3.1 Published 2023-11-08
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
69/100
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 buffer overflow was reported in the ReFlash module in some Lenovo Desktop products that may allow a local attacker with elevated privileges to execute arbitrary code.

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 buffer overflow vulnerability exists in the ReFlash module of certain Lenovo Desktop products. This module, typically used for firmware flashing operations, fails to properly validate buffer boundaries when processing input, allowing an attacker with elevated local privileges to overwrite memory and execute arbitrary code.

MitigationApply the Lenovo security firmware update for affected Desktop products. Restrict local privileged access and monitor for suspicious use of flashing utilities.

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
Ideacentre C5 14imb05 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:< o4hkt3ca
Ideacentre 3 07ada05 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:< o4fkt39a
Ideacentre 3 07imb05 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:< m2vkt21a
Ideacentre 5 14iab7 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:< m42kt46a
Ideacentre 5 14irb8 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:< m4ukt36a
Ideacentre 5 14acn6 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Ideacentre T540 15ama G FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Thinkcentre Neo 70t Gen 3 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:< m40kt45a

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

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/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 Lenovo desktop model
    Run 'systeminfo' (Windows) or check /sys/class/dmi/id/product_name (Linux) to confirm the system is an Ideacentre C5 14imb05, Ideacentre 3 07ada05, Ideacentre 3 07imb05, Ideacentre 5 14iab7, Ideacentre 5 14irb8, Ideacentre 5 14acn6, Ideacentre T540 15ama G, or Thinkcentre Neo 70t Gen 3
    Affected if The model matches any of the affected products listed in the CVE
  2. Check the current firmware version
    Access the UEFI/BIOS setup during boot or use a tool like 'wmic bios get smbiosbiosversion' (Windows) or 'dmidecode -s bios-version' (Linux) to retrieve the installed firmware version
    Affected if The installed version is below the threshold specified for that model (e.g., < o4hkt3ca for C5 14imb05, < o4fkt39a for 3 07ada05, < m2vkt21a for 3 07imb05, < m42kt46a for 5 14iab7, < m4ukt36a for 5 14irb8, or any version for 5 14acn6 and T540 15ama G, or < m40kt45a for Neo 70t Gen 3)
  3. Verify ReFlash module availability
    Check if the firmware flashing utility or ReFlash functionality is present on the system, typically found in the UEFI/BIOS interface or via vendor tools like Lenovo Vantage or BIOS update utilities
    Affected if The ReFlash module is accessible and can be invoked by a local privileged user

Your system is affected if it is one of the listed Lenovo desktop models AND the installed firmware version falls below the specified threshold (or is any version for the models marked 'all versions'), allowing a local attacker with elevated privileges to trigger the buffer overflow in the ReFlash module.

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
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Apply the Lenovo security firmware update for affected Desktop products. Restrict local privileged access and monitor for suspicious use of flashing utilities.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Firmware version o4hkt3ca (or newer) for Ideacentre C5 14imb05; o4fkt39a (or newer) for Ideacentre 3 07ada05; m2vkt21a (or newer) for Ideacentre 3 07imb05; m42kt46a (or newer) for Ideacentre 5 14iab7; m4ukt36a (or newer) for Ideacentre 5 14irb8; m40kt45a (or newer) for Thinkcentre Neo 70t Gen 3

  1. 1. Identify the exact model number of the Lenovo desktop from the affected product list.
  2. 2. Navigate to support.lenovo.com and enter the product model number to access the drivers and firmware download page.
  3. 3. Locate the BIOS/Firmware update for the specific machine.
  4. 4. Download the firmware update package that is version o4hkt3ca or higher for Ideacentre C5 14imb05, o4fkt39a or higher for Ideacentre 3 07ada05, m2vkt21a or higher for Ideacentre 3 07imb05, m42kt46a or higher for Ideacentre 5 14iab7, m4ukt36a or higher for Ideacentre 5 14irb8, or m40kt45a or higher for Thinkcentre Neo 70t Gen 3.
  5. 5. For Ideacentre 5 14acn6 and Ideacentre T540 15ama G (all versions affected), check Lenovo support for any available firmware update or contact Lenovo support directly.
  6. 6. Follow Lenovo's firmware update instructions carefully, typically involving running the update utility from Windows or creating a bootable USB update media.
  7. 7. Ensure the system is connected to power and not interrupted during the firmware flash process.
Caveat Firmware updates carry a risk of system damage if interrupted; ensure stable power and follow update instructions exactly

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

Fix this in Ideacentre C5 14imb05 Firmware Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
11.0 hours of engineering $1,930
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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-2023-43577 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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What this is

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