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Core Policy Compute EngineApplication · Illumio

CVE-2023-5183

HIGH · 8.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2023-09-27
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 19.3.7 / 21.2.8 or later.
See remediation →
94/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable 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
Unsafe deserialization of untrusted JSON allows execution of arbitrary code on affected releases of the Illumio PCE. Authentication to the API is required to exploit this vulnerability. The flaw exists within the network_traffic API endpoint. An attacker can leverage this vulnerability to execute code in the context of the PCE’s operating system user.  

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

Unsafe deserialization in the network_traffic API endpoint of Illumio PCE allows an authenticated attacker to execute arbitrary code in the context of the PCE's operating system user. The vulnerability stems from improper handling of untrusted JSON data during deserialization.

MitigationApply vendor-provided patches for Illumio PCE when available. Until then, restrict API access to only trusted authenticated users and monitor for suspicious activity targeting the network_traffic endpoint.

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
Core Policy Compute EngineApplication
Affected:< 19.3.7>= 21.2.0, < 21.2.8>= 21.5.0, < 21.5.36>= 22.2.0, < 22.2.42>= 22.5.0, < 22.5.31>= 23.2.0, < 23.2.11

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

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/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 Illumio PCE product and version
    Locate the installed Illumio Core Policy Compute Engine version through the PCE administrative interface, CLI tool, or API documentation for version retrieval. Common locations include the PCE dashboard about section or running the illumio-ctl command with version flag.
    Affected if The installed version falls into any of these ranges: < 19.3.7; >= 21.2.0 and < 21.2.8; >= 21.5.0 and < 21.5.36; >= 22.2.0 and < 22.2.42; >= 22.5.0 and < 22.5.31; >= 23.2.0 and < 23.2.11
  2. Verify network_traffic API endpoint availability
    Check if the network_traffic API endpoint is exposed and accessible in your Illumio PCE installation. This is typically a REST API endpoint used for traffic management functions. Consult PCE documentation to confirm endpoint routing configuration.
    Affected if The network_traffic API endpoint is enabled and routable in the environment
  3. Assess API authentication configuration
    Review the authentication and authorization settings for the Illumio PCE API, specifically focusing on user access controls for the network_traffic endpoint. Determine which authenticated users or roles have permission to invoke this endpoint.
    Affected if The network_traffic API endpoint permits access from authenticated users who are not explicitly trusted or who have not been vetted

You are affected if your Illumio PCE runs an affected version AND the network_traffic API endpoint is accessible to authenticated users, as the unsafe deserialization can be triggered by any such user.

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 19.3.7 / 21.2.8 / 21.5.36 or later
Fixed in 19.3.721.2.821.5.36
Interim mitigation

Apply vendor-provided patches for Illumio PCE when available. Until then, restrict API access to only trusted authenticated users and monitor for suspicious activity targeting the network_traffic endpoint.

Recommended fix High confidence

Upgrade to 19.3.7 (if on 18.x), 21.2.8 (if on 21.2.x), 21.5.36 (if on 21.5.x), or 22.2.42 (if on 22.2.x)

  1. 1. Identify the current Illumio PCE version by checking the PCE dashboard or running: ilo-pce version
  2. 2. Determine the appropriate upgrade path based on current version (see upgrade_path)
  3. 3. Schedule a maintenance window as the upgrade may require downtime
  4. 4. Back up the PCE database and configuration before proceeding with upgrade
  5. 5. Download the appropriate fixed release from Illumio support portal (19.3.7, 21.2.8, 21.5.36, or 22.2.42)
  6. 6. Follow Illumio's standard upgrade procedure documented in the PCE Administration Guide
  7. 7. After upgrade, verify the PCE services are running: ilo-pce status
  8. 8. Confirm the network_traffic API endpoint is now secure by reviewing release notes for the installed fixed version
Caveat Standard PCE upgrade considerations apply - review release notes for any migration steps or deprecation notices specific to your version branch

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

Fix this in Core Policy Compute Engine Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA3.0 h
19.0 hours of engineering $3,380
Get the upgrade done

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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-2023-5183 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