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ViosApplication · Ibm

CVE-2023-45169

MEDIUM · 5.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2024-01-11
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
57/100
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
IBM AIX 7.2, 7.3, and VIOS 3.1 could allow a non-privileged local user to exploit a vulnerability in the pmsvcs kernel extension to cause a denial of service. IBM X-Force ID: 267967.

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 denial of service vulnerability exists in the pmsvcs (Performance Management Services) kernel extension in IBM AIX 7.2, 7.3, and VIOS 3.1. A non-privileged local user can exploit this kernel-level flaw to cause a denial of service, potentially crashing or destabilizing the system. The vulnerability is locally exploitable (AV:L) and requires low privileges (PR:L) according to CVSS metrics.

MitigationApply the IBM fix/patch for CVE-2023-45169 when available through IBM's official support channels. Until patch availability, restrict local access to trusted users and monitor for unusual system behavior.

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
ViosApplication
Affected:= 3.1
AixOperating system
Affected:= 7.2= 7.3

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

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/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. Check the AIX or VIOS version
    Run 'oslevel -s' on AIX or 'ioslevel' on VIOS to retrieve the installed version
    Affected if The version shows 7.2.x, 7.3.x, or 3.1.x, indicating the system falls within the affected version range
  2. Verify the pmsvcs kernel extension is present
    Run 'lslpp -l | grep -i pmsvcs' to list installed filesets related to pmsvcs
    Affected if The pmsvcs fileset is installed and appears in the output, indicating the vulnerable component exists on the system
  3. Check if pmsvcs kernel extension is loaded
    Run 'lsdev -C | grep pmsvcs' to see if the pmsvcs device is configured, or check with 'sysconfig -q pmsvcs' if available
    Affected if The pmsvcs device or extension shows as Available or Loaded, meaning the vulnerable component is active
  4. Check for installed fixes related to this CVE
    Run 'emgr -l' on AIX or 'diaget' command on VIOS to list installed emergency fixes (efix/ifixes), then search output for identifiers matching CVE-2023-45169 or the pmsvcs component
    Affected if No fix for CVE-2023-45169 is listed among installed fixes, leaving the vulnerability unpatched

The system is affected if it runs AIX 7.2/7.3 or VIOS 3.1 with the pmsvcs kernel extension present and no corresponding security fix for CVE-2023-45169 installed.

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 IBM fix/patch for CVE-2023-45169 when available through IBM's official support channels. Until patch availability, restrict local access to trusted users and monitor for unusual system behavior.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

AIX 7.2 TL4 SP2 or later / AIX 7.3 TL2 SP2 or later / VIOS 3.1.2 or later (specific APAR required)

  1. 1. Identify the current AIX or VIOS version using 'oslevel -s' or 'ioslevel' commands
  2. 2. Subscribe to IBM AIX security notifications and visit IBM Support for the latest security patches
  3. 3. Locate the specific APAR for CVE-2023-45169 (search for 'IJ45997' or similar APAR number related to pmsvcs)
  4. 4. Download and install the required fix via 'emgr -p' command after obtaining the efix from IBM
  5. 5. Reboot the system if required by the patch installation
  6. 6. Verify the fix is applied by checking 'emgr -l' output and confirming the pmsvcs kernel extension is no longer vulnerable
Caveat Kernel extension patches may require system reboot; test in non-production environment first

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

Fix this in Vios Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation6.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA3.0 h
19.0 hours of engineering $3,320
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Scan for this in your stack

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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-2023-45169 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