CVE-2023-5797
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 · uneditedAn improper privilege management vulnerability in the debug CLI command of the Zyxel ATP series firmware versions 4.32 through 5.37, USG FLEX series firmware versions 4.50 through 5.37, USG FLEX 50(W) series firmware versions 4.16 through 5.37, USG20(W)-VPN series firmware versions 4.16 through 5.37, VPN series firmware versions 4.30 through 5.37, NWA50AX firmware version 6.29(ABYW.2), WAC500 firmware version 6.65(ABVS.1), WAX300H firmware version 6.60(ACHF.1), and WBE660S firmware version 6.65(ACGG.1), could allow an authenticated local attacker to access the administrator’s logs on an affected device.
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 confidenceThis is an improper privilege management vulnerability in the debug CLI command of multiple Zyxel firewall, VPN, and wireless access point devices. An authenticated local attacker can exploit insufficient access controls on the debug CLI to access administrator's logs, exposing potentially sensitive operational information.
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>= 4.32, <= 5.37>= 4.50, <= 5.37>= 4.16, <= 5.37>= 4.30, <= 5.37< 6.70\(abtg.0\)< 6.70\(abvt.0\)< 6.70\(abtd.0\)< 6.70\(acco.0\)< 6.80\(abyw.0\)< 6.80\(acge.0\)< 6.80\(abzl.0\)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
- Local
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges
- Low
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Identify device model and firmware versionAccess the device CLI or web interface and retrieve the system information or firmware version (typically via 'show system-info' command or Device > Overview page in web GUI)Affected if The device is a Zyxel Zld device or one of the listed Nwa access point models and the firmware version falls within or below the affected ranges (Zld <= 5.37, Nwa models below their respective thresholds)
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Verify debug CLI is accessibleAttempt to access or list debug commands in the device CLI (such as 'debug' or 'show debug' commands) or check if debug functionality is enabled in the configurationAffected if Debug CLI commands are available to non-administrative authenticated users or can be accessed without proper privilege verification
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Confirm user privilege configurationReview the user accounts and their privilege levels configured on the device (typically via 'show user' or 'show privilege' commands in CLI, or through the web GUI user management section)Affected if There are authenticated users with limited privileges who should not have access to debug functionality but the debug CLI does not enforce proper privilege boundaries
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Check debug command access controlAttempt to execute debug commands with a non-administrator account to verify if the vulnerability is exploitable (if you have test accounts with limited privileges)Affected if A lower-privileged authenticated user can execute debug CLI commands and access logs that should be restricted to administrator-level access only
Your environment is affected if you are running a Zyxel device (Zld firewall/VPN or Nwa access point model) with firmware version within the affected ranges AND the debug CLI feature is accessible to authenticated users without proper administrator privilege enforcement.
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.
dbcve · scoped6.706.80
Update affected devices to firmware versions beyond 5.37 (when available) or apply vendor-supplied patches. If immediate patching is not possible, disable debug functionality or restrict CLI access to administrative accounts only.
NWA models: firmware >= 6.70 (or >= 6.80 for NWA50AX/NWA50AX Pro/NWA55AXE); ATP/USG/VPN series: firmware >= 5.38
- 1. Identify the specific Zyxel device model from the affected product list (NWA50AX, NWA50AX Pro, NWA55AXE, NWA110AX, NWA1123ACV3, NWA210AX, NWA220AX 6E, or ATP/USG FLEX/USG20-VPN/VPN series)
- 2. Determine the current firmware version installed on the device via the web interface or CLI
- 3. For NWA110AX, NWA1123ACV3, NWA210AX, and NWA220AX 6E: Download firmware version 6.70 or later from the Zyxel support website (www.zyxel.com)
- 4. For NWA50AX: Download firmware version 6.80(ABYW.0) or later from the Zyxel support website
- 5. For NWA50AX Pro: Download firmware version 6.80(ACGE.0) or later from the Zyxel support website
- 6. For NWA55AXE: Download firmware version 6.80(ABZL.0) or later from the Zyxel support website
- 7. For ATP, USG FLEX, USG FLEX 50(W), USG20(W)-VPN, and VPN series: Download firmware version 5.38 or later from the Zyxel support website
- 8. Upload the firmware file through the device's web administration interface or via CLI using the firmware upgrade command
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing2.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2023-5797 — 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-2023-5797 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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- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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