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ArubaosOperating system · Arubanetworks

CVE-2023-45616

CRITICAL · 9.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2023-11-14
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 8.6.0.23 / 8.10.0.9 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
There is a buffer overflow vulnerability in the underlying AirWave client service that could lead to unauthenticated remote code execution by sending specially crafted packets destined to the PAPI (Aruba's access point management protocol) UDP port (8211). Successful exploitation of this vulnerability results in the ability to execute arbitrary code as a privileged user on the underlying operating system.

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 buffer overflow in Aruba AirWave's client service allows unauthenticated attackers to send specially crafted packets to the PAPI UDP port (8211), achieving privileged remote code execution on the underlying operating system.

MitigationApply the vendor-provided patch for CVE-2023-45616 immediately; as an interim measure, restrict network access to UDP port 8211 to trusted 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
ArubaosOperating system
Affected:>= 10.3.0.0, < 10.4.0.3= 10.5.0.0
InstantosOperating system
Affected:>= 6.4.0.0, < 8.6.0.23>= 8.10.0.0, < 8.10.0.9>= 8.11.0.0, < 8.11.2.0

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. Check the ArubaOS version
    On the Aruba controller, run 'show version' or check the WebUI under Maintenance > Software. Note the exact version string.
    Affected if The installed version is >= 10.3.0.0 and < 10.4.0.3, or is exactly 10.5.0.0, indicating the device falls within the affected version ranges.
  2. Check the HP InstantOS version
    On the HP InstantOS device, run 'show version' in the CLI or access the WebUI to view the firmware version.
    Affected if The installed version is >= 6.4.0.0 and < 8.6.0.23, or >= 8.10.0.0 and < 8.10.0.9, or >= 8.11.0.0 and < 8.11.2.0, indicating the device falls within the affected version ranges.
  3. Verify if PAPI UDP port 8211 is listening
    Run 'netstat -uan | grep 8211' or 'show ip interface' on the device to check if UDP port 8211 is open and listening for PAPI traffic.
    Affected if UDP port 8211 is actively listening, meaning the PAPI service is exposed and potentially reachable by attackers on the network.
  4. Confirm network accessibility of port 8211
    From an external host, attempt to reach the device on UDP port 8211 using a tool like nmap (nmap -sU -p 8211 <device_ip>) or verify firewall rules allow UDP 8211 traffic.
    Affected if UDP port 8211 is exposed to untrusted networks or external attackers, creating the condition for unauthenticated exploitation.

You are affected if your ArubaOS or HP InstantOS version falls within the specified affected ranges AND UDP port 8211 is accessible to untrusted network sources.

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 8.6.0.23 / 8.10.0.9 / 8.11.2.0 or later
Fixed in 8.6.0.238.10.0.98.11.2.0
Interim mitigation

Apply the vendor-provided patch for CVE-2023-45616 immediately; as an interim measure, restrict network access to UDP port 8211 to trusted sources only.

Recommended fix High confidence

ArubaOS 10.4.0.3+ (10.3.x branch) or latest 10.5.x/10.6.x; InstantOS 8.6.0.23+, 8.10.0.9+, or 8.11.2.0+

  1. 1. Identify the currently installed ArubaOS or InstantOS version by running 'show version' on the controller
  2. 2. For ArubaOS 10.3.x: Upgrade to version 10.4.0.3 or later
  3. 3. For ArubaOS 10.5.0.0: Upgrade to the latest 10.5.x version (10.5.1.0 or later) or migrate to 10.6.x/10.7.x
  4. 4. For InstantOS 6.4.x: Upgrade to version 8.6.0.23 or later
  5. 5. For InstantOS 8.10.x: Upgrade to version 8.10.0.9 or later
  6. 6. For InstantOS 8.11.x: Upgrade to version 8.11.2.0 or later
  7. 7. Download the appropriate firmware from the Aruba support portal (https://asp.arubanetworks.com)
  8. 8. Upload the firmware to the controller using 'upgrade-software' or through the WebUI
Caveat Major version upgrades (e.g., 6.4.x to 8.x, 10.3.x to 10.5.x) may have configuration or feature changes - review release notes and test in staging environment before production deployment

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

Fix this in Arubaos Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
12.0 hours of engineering $2,130
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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-2023-45616 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