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BluezApplication

CVE-2023-51589

MEDIUM · 5.7 CVSS v3.1 Published 2024-05-03
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
60/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
No privileges

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
BlueZ Audio Profile AVRCP parse_media_element Out-Of-Bounds Read Information Disclosure Vulnerability. This vulnerability allows network-adjacent attackers to disclose sensitive information via Bluetooth on affected installations of BlueZ. User interaction is required to exploit this vulnerability in that the target must connect to a malicious device. The specific flaw exists within the handling of the AVRCP protocol. The issue results from the lack of proper validation of user-supplied data, which can result in a read past the end of an allocated buffer. An attacker can leverage this in conjunction with other vulnerabilities to execute arbitrary code in the context of root. Was ZDI-CAN-20853.

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

This is an out-of-bounds read vulnerability in BlueZ's AVRCP (Audio/Video Remote Control Profile) implementation, specifically in the parse_media_element function. The flaw results from insufficient validation of user-supplied data during media element parsing, allowing an attacker to read past the end of an allocated buffer. Successful exploitation discloses sensitive information, and when chained with other vulnerabilities, can lead to arbitrary code execution as root.

MitigationUpdate BlueZ to the latest patched version that addresses this AVRCP validation issue. Avoid connecting to untrusted or malicious Bluetooth devices until the patch is applied.

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
BluezApplication
Affected:= 5.66

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
Adjacent
Complexity
Low
Privileges
None
User interaction
Required
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
None
Availability
None

CVSS:3.1/AV:A/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:N/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 checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Identify BlueZ version
    Run `bluetoothd --version` or `bluetoothctl version` to retrieve the installed BlueZ daemon version
    Affected if The version returned is exactly 5.66
  2. Confirm Bluetooth service is active
    Run `systemctl is-active bluetooth` to verify the BlueZ Bluetooth service is running
    Affected if The service is active and running
  3. Check for AVRCP profile usage
    Examine active Bluetooth connections using `bluetoothctl paired-devices` and `bluetoothctl info` to see if any connected devices are using AVRCP (Audio/Video Remote Control Profile)
    Affected if Any paired or connected Bluetooth device is utilizing AVRCP functionality
  4. Inspect AVRCP media element handling
    Review BlueZ logs (`journalctl -u bluetooth -f` or `/var/log/syslog`) for any AVRCP media element parsing activity or errors when connecting to Bluetooth audio devices
    Affected if AVRCP media element parsing is occurring in the logs

You are affected if BlueZ version is exactly 5.66 and AVRCP profile is active or has been used with paired Bluetooth devices, as the out-of-bounds read vulnerability in parse_media_element is triggered during media element parsing from connected devices.

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

Update BlueZ to the latest patched version that addresses this AVRCP validation issue. Avoid connecting to untrusted or malicious Bluetooth devices until the patch is applied.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

BlueZ 5.67 or later

  1. 1. Identify the current BlueZ version installed on the system using 'bluetoothd --version' or checking the package manager
  2. 2. Upgrade BlueZ to version 5.67 or later, as this is the next stable release after the affected version 5.66
  3. 3. For Debian/Ubuntu systems: run 'sudo apt update && sudo apt install bluez'
  4. 4. For Red Hat/Fedora systems: run 'sudo dnf update bluez'
  5. 5. For Arch Linux: run 'sudo pacman -Syu bluez'
  6. 6. Restart the Bluetooth service after upgrade using 'sudo systemctl restart bluetooth'
  7. 7. Verify the new version is installed with 'bluetoothd --version'
  8. 8. Test Bluetooth functionality to ensure the upgrade did not break existing configurations
Caveat Minor: Verify Bluetooth audio devices and profiles (especially A2DP and AVRCP) function correctly after upgrade, as protocol handling changes may affect legacy device compatibility

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

Fix this in Bluez Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing12.0 h
  • Review / QA4.0 h
28.0 hours of engineering $4,760
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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-2023-51589 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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