CVE-2023-22757 in ArubaOS
Summary
by MITRE • 03/01/2023
There are buffer overflow vulnerabilities in multiple underlying operating system processes that could lead to unauthenticated remote code execution by sending specially crafted packets via the PAPI protocol. Successful exploitation of these vulnerabilities result in the ability to execute arbitrary code as a privileged user on the underlying operating system.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/26/2023
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2023-22757 represents a critical buffer overflow condition affecting multiple operating system processes that communicate through the PAPI protocol. This flaw resides within the fundamental packet processing mechanisms of the underlying operating system, creating a pathway for remote attackers to execute arbitrary code without requiring authentication credentials. The vulnerability specifically targets the handling of incoming packets within the PAPI protocol implementation, where insufficient bounds checking allows attackers to overflow buffer structures and overwrite critical memory segments. The technical implementation of this vulnerability aligns with CWE-121, which describes stack-based buffer overflow conditions, and CWE-787, which addresses out-of-bounds write vulnerabilities that can lead to arbitrary code execution.
The operational impact of CVE-2023-22757 extends beyond simple privilege escalation to encompass complete system compromise when successfully exploited. Attackers can leverage this vulnerability to gain elevated privileges on affected systems, potentially leading to persistent access and data exfiltration capabilities. The remote nature of the attack vector eliminates the need for physical access or local user credentials, making the vulnerability particularly dangerous in networked environments where PAPI protocol traffic flows between systems. The exploitation process typically involves crafting malicious packets that exceed the allocated buffer space, causing memory corruption that can be leveraged to redirect program execution flow. This vulnerability directly maps to ATT&CK technique T1059.007 for command and scripting interpreter, as successful exploitation enables attackers to execute arbitrary commands with elevated privileges.
Systems utilizing the PAPI protocol for inter-process communication or network services are particularly vulnerable to this attack vector, including enterprise network infrastructure, industrial control systems, and embedded devices that rely on this communication standard. The lack of authentication requirements for exploitation makes this vulnerability especially concerning for environments where network segmentation is insufficient or where PAPI protocol traffic traverses untrusted networks. Organizations running affected operating systems without proper patch management or network monitoring may find themselves unable to detect exploitation attempts, as the attack can occur entirely within normal protocol behavior. The vulnerability's potential for privilege escalation to root or system-level access creates opportunities for attackers to establish persistent backdoors, modify system configurations, or extract sensitive data from compromised systems. Mitigation strategies should include immediate patch deployment, network segmentation to isolate PAPI protocol traffic, and implementation of intrusion detection systems capable of identifying malformed PAPI packets that may indicate exploitation attempts.