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Ideacentre C5 14imb05 FirmwareOperating system · Lenovo

CVE-2023-43581

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 Update_WMI 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 Update_WMI module of certain Lenovo Desktop products. An attacker with already elevated local privileges can exploit this buffer overflow to execute arbitrary code, potentially maintaining persistence or escalating further.

MitigationApply Lenovo's security updates for the Update_WMI module to affected Desktop products; verify all systems are patched and monitor for any anomalous WMI activity.

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
    Check system information to determine if the machine is a Lenovo 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 system model matches any of the affected models listed in the CVE
  2. Locate the firmware version
    Access the UEFI/BIOS settings or use system information tools to find the installed firmware version string
    Affected if The firmware version cannot be determined or retrieved
  3. Compare firmware version against affected ranges
    Match the installed firmware version to the version thresholds: Ideacentre C5 14imb05 < o4hkt3ca, Ideacentre 3 07ada05 < o4fkt39a, Ideacentre 3 07imb05 < m2vkt21a, Ideacentre 5 14iab7 < m42kt46a, Ideacentre 5 14irb8 < m4ukt36a, Thinkcentre Neo 70t Gen 3 < m40kt45a
    Affected if The installed firmware version is lower than the specified threshold for that model, or for Ideacentre 5 14acn6 and Ideacentre T540 15ama G the version is any value
  4. Check for Update_WMI module presence
    Review installed software or drivers to determine if the Update_WMI module is present on the system
    Affected if The Update_WMI module is installed on an affected model with vulnerable firmware version

A user is affected if they own an affected Ideacentre or Thinkcentre model with a firmware version below the specified threshold (or any version for Ideacentre 5 14acn6 and Ideacentre T540 15ama G) and the Update_WMI module is present.

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 Lenovo's security updates for the Update_WMI module to affected Desktop products; verify all systems are patched and monitor for any anomalous WMI activity.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Firmware version o4hkt3ca (C5 14imb05), o4fkt39a (07ada05), m2vkt21a (07imb05), m42kt46a (14iab7), m4ukt36a (14irb8), m40kt45a (Neo 70t Gen 3) or later; contact Lenovo for specific updates to 14acn6 and T540 15ama G

  1. 1. Identify the exact Lenovo Desktop model number (e.g., Ideacentre C5 14imb05, Thinkcentre Neo 70t Gen 3)
  2. 2. Visit the Lenovo support website (support.lenovo.com) and navigate to the Drivers & Updates section for your specific model
  3. 3. Locate the BIOS/UEFI firmware update that matches or exceeds the fixed version number for your product: C5 14imb05 needs o4hkt3ca or later, 07ada05 needs o4fkt39a or later, 07imb05 needs m2vkt21a or later, 14iab7 needs m42kt46a or later, 14irb8 needs m4ukt36a or later, 14acn6 needs any available update, T540 15ama G needs any available update, Neo 70t Gen 3 needs m40kt45a or later
  4. 4. Download the firmware update package from Lenovo's official support site
  5. 5. Follow Lenovo's firmware update instructions, typically requiring running the update utility or copying to a USB drive for BIOS flashing
  6. 6. Restart the system after the firmware update completes
Caveat Firmware updates carry inherent risk; power loss during update can brick the device; ensure stable power and follow update instructions precisely

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

Fix this in Ideacentre C5 14imb05 Firmware Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation6.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
15.0 hours of engineering $2,640
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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-2023-43581 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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What this is

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What belongs here
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  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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