CVE-2023-46169
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 · uneditedIBM DS8900F HMC 89.21.19.0, 89.21.31.0, 89.30.68.0, 89.32.40.0, and 89.33.48.0 could allow an authenticated user to arbitrarily delete a file. IBM X-Force ID: 269406.
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 confidenceThe IBM DS8900F HMC versions 89.21.19.0 through 89.33.48.0 contain an improper authorization vulnerability allowing authenticated users to delete arbitrary files on the system. This likely represents a path traversal or insufficient access control check in the file deletion functionality of the Hardware Management Console.
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= 89.22.19.0= 89.30.68.0= 89.32.40.0= 89.33.48.0CVSS 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
- None
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N
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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Identify the HMC firmware versionLog into the Hardware Management Console web interface and navigate to the System Settings or About section to view the firmware version. Alternatively, use the HMC command line (hmcshell) and run 'lshmc -v' or 'lslic -v' to display the installed firmware version.Affected if The displayed version falls within the range 89.21.19.0 through 89.33.48.0, or matches one of the specific affected versions 89.22.19.0, 89.30.68.0, 89.32.40.0, or 89.33.48.0
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Confirm HMC file deletion functionality is accessibleVerify that the Hardware Management Console is network-accessible and that user authentication is configured. The vulnerability affects the file deletion functionality, so confirm that users with HMC access exist.Affected if The HMC is reachable and accepts authenticated user connections, enabling the improper authorization flaw to be exploited
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Review HMC user permissions configurationExamine the HMC user management settings to identify accounts with elevated privileges or file management capabilities. Check whether non-administrative users have been granted permissions that should be restricted.Affected if Multiple user accounts exist with permissions beyond their intended scope, indicating potential misuse of the vulnerable authorization mechanism
You are affected if your DS8900F HMC firmware version is 89.21.19.0 or any version up to and including 89.33.48.0, and the HMC is accessible to authenticated users.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
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.
From vendor dataApply IBM's security patch or upgrade to a fixed version of the DS8900F HMC firmware. Restrict administrative access to the HMC to trusted personnel only until the patch can be applied.
- Consultation6.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing8.0 h
- Review / QA4.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $6,144.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2023-46169 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2023-46169 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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- Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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