CVE-2023-4162 – This vulnerability allows authenticated privile... (How to Fix)

Q: What is the severity of CVE-2023-4162?

CVE-2023-4162 has a CVSS score of 4.4 (MEDIUM). This vulnerability allows authenticated privileged users on Brocade Fabric OS switches to cause a segmentation fault (crash) by executing a specific CLI command. It affects Brocade Fabric OS versions from v9.0 up to but not including v9.2.0a. The crash could lead to denial of service on affected switches.

📋 TL;DR

This vulnerability allows authenticated privileged users on Brocade Fabric OS switches to cause a segmentation fault (crash) by executing a specific CLI command. It affects Brocade Fabric OS versions from v9.0 up to but not including v9.2.0a. The crash could lead to denial of service on affected switches.

💻 Affected Systems

Products:

Brocade Fabric OS

Versions: v9.0 up to but not including v9.2.0a

Operating Systems: Brocade Fabric OS

Default Config Vulnerable: ⚠️ Yes

Notes: Only affects systems where users have authenticated privileged CLI access to execute the passwdcfg command.

📦 What is this software?

Fabric Operating System by Broadcom

View all CVEs affecting Fabric Operating System →

⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact

🔴

Worst Case

An authenticated malicious insider with privileged access could crash critical network switches, causing widespread network outages and disrupting storage area network operations.

🟠

Likely Case

Accidental misuse by authorized administrators could cause temporary switch crashes requiring manual intervention to restore service.

🟢

If Mitigated

With proper access controls and monitoring, the impact is limited to potential service disruption from authorized users only.

🌐 Internet-Facing: LOW - This requires authenticated privileged CLI access, which should not be exposed to the internet.

🏢 Internal Only: MEDIUM - Internal privileged users could exploit this, but requires specific access levels and knowledge of the vulnerable command.

🎯 Exploit Status

Public PoC: ✅ No

Weaponized: UNKNOWN

Unauthenticated Exploit: ✅ No

Complexity: LOW

Exploitation requires authenticated privileged access and knowledge of the specific command syntax. No public exploit code has been identified.

🛠️ Fix & Mitigation

✅ Official Fix

Patch Version: Brocade Fabric OS v9.2.0a and later

Vendor Advisory: https://support.broadcom.com/web/ecx/support-content-notification/-/external/content/SecurityAdvisories/0/22513

Restart Required: Yes

Instructions:

1. Download Brocade Fabric OS v9.2.0a or later from Broadcom support portal. 2. Follow standard Fabric OS upgrade procedures. 3. Reboot the switch after upgrade completion.

🔧 Temporary Workarounds

Restrict CLI Access

all

Limit access to the CLI and specifically the passwdcfg command to only essential administrators.

userconfig --add <username> -r <role>
userconfig --modify <username> -r <role>

Monitor CLI Commands

all

Implement logging and monitoring for passwdcfg command usage to detect potential exploitation attempts.

logging --enable -m audit
auditcfg --set -enable

🧯 If You Can't Patch

Implement strict role-based access control to limit who can execute CLI commands
Monitor and alert on any usage of the passwdcfg command with --set -expire -minDiff parameters

🔍 How to Verify

Check if Vulnerable:

Check Fabric OS version: 'version' command. If version is >=9.0 and <9.2.0a, system is vulnerable.

Check Version:

version

Verify Fix Applied:

After upgrade, run 'version' command to confirm version is 9.2.0a or higher.

📡 Detection & Monitoring

Log Indicators:

CLI audit logs showing 'passwdcfg --set -expire -minDiff' command execution
System crash logs or segmentation fault messages

Network Indicators:

Unexpected switch reboots or loss of connectivity to affected switches

SIEM Query:

source="brocade_switch" AND (command="passwdcfg" AND parameters="--set -expire -minDiff")

📊 Metadata

CVE ID: CVE-2023-4162

CVSS v3 Score: 4.4 (MEDIUM)

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

CWE: CWE-252

Published: August 31, 2023

Last Updated: February 20, 2026

🔗 References

https://security.netapp.com/advisory/ntap-20231124-0010/ Third Party Advisory
https://support.broadcom.com/web/ecx/support-content-notification/-/external/content/SecurityAdvisories/0/22513 Vendor Advisory
https://security.netapp.com/advisory/ntap-20231124-0010/ Third Party Advisory
https://support.broadcom.com/web/ecx/support-content-notification/-/external/content/SecurityAdvisories/0/22513 Vendor Advisory

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🔗 Related Vulnerabilities

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