CVE-2023-23583VulnerabilityPublished 14 Nov 2023Updated 16 Dec 2025

CVE-2023-23583: Intel(R) Processors · information disclosure, escalation of privilege, denial of service

Affects Intel(R) ProcessorsSource CVE Database V5

Not known to be exploited · CVSS 8.8 High.

Data as of 26 Oct 2026, 07:57 UTC

CVSS 3.1 base score

8.8High

How severe the flaw is on the 0–10 CVSS scale.

EPSS: 1.2% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 69% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.

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

Attack Vector: Local
Attack Complexity: Low
Privileges Required: Low
User Interaction: None
Scope: Changed
Confidentiality: High
Integrity: High
Availability: High

Bold values are the worst case: easiest to exploit or largest impact.

Attack Vector: Local: The vulnerable component is not bound to the network stack and the attacker’s path is via read/write/execute capabilities. Either: the attacker exploits the vulnerability by accessing the target system locally (e.g., keyboard, console), or remotely (e.g., SSH); or the attacker relies on User Interaction by another person to perform actions required to exploit the vulnerability (e.g., tricking a legitimate user into opening a malicious document).
Attack Complexity: Low: Specialized access conditions or extenuating circumstances do not exist. An attacker can expect repeatable success against the vulnerable component.
Privileges Required: Low: The attacker is authorized with (i.e., requires) privileges that provide basic user capabilities that could normally affect only settings and files owned by a user. Alternatively, an attacker with Low privileges may have the ability to cause an impact only to non-sensitive resources.
User Interaction: None: The vulnerable system can be exploited without any interaction from any user.
Scope: Changed: An exploited vulnerability can affect resources beyond the security scope managed by the security authority of the vulnerable component. In this case, the vulnerable component and the impacted component are different and managed by different security authorities.
Confidentiality: High: There is total loss of confidentiality, resulting in all resources within the impacted component being divulged to the attacker. Alternatively, access to only some restricted information is obtained, but the disclosed information presents a direct, serious impact.
Integrity: High: There is a total loss of integrity, or a complete loss of protection. For example, the attacker is able to modify any/all files protected by the impacted component. Alternatively, only some files can be modified, but malicious modification would present a direct, serious consequence to the impacted component.
Availability: High: There is total loss of availability, resulting in the attacker being able to fully deny access to resources in the impacted component; this loss is either sustained (while the attacker continues to deliver the attack) or persistent (the condition persists even after the attack has completed). Alternatively, the attacker has the ability to deny some availability, but the loss of availability presents a direct, serious consequence to the impacted component (e.g., the attacker cannot disrupt existing connections, but can prevent new connections; the attacker can repeatedly exploit a vulnerability that, in each instance of a successful attack, leaks a only small amount of memory, but after repeated exploitation causes a service to become completely unavailable).

Definitions: FIRST CVSS v3.1 specification.

Exploitation evidence

Disclosed: evidence found.
CVE published 14 Nov 2023
Detectable: no evidence on record.
No public nuclei template indexed
Weaponised: no evidence on record.
No public exploit code indexed in Metasploit or Exploit-DB
Exploited in the wildExploited: no evidence on record.
Not in CISA KEV and no source reports exploitation
Observed by OffSeq MirageSeen by Mirage: no evidence on record.
No attack traffic recorded by OffSeq Mirage sensors

A missing step is not evidence of safety. Sources: cve.org (opens in a new tab), the Metasploit, Exploit-DB and nuclei-templates index as of 2026-10-26.

Disclosed: The CVE record is public on cve.org. Its publication is t = 0.
Detectable: A public nuclei template can find exposed instances, for defenders and attackers alike.
Weaponised: Public exploit code exists in Metasploit or Exploit-DB, or CISA SSVC reports a public proof of concept.
Exploited in the wild: CISA KEV lists it, CISA SSVC rates exploitation active, or a source reports attacks.
Observed by OffSeq Mirage: OffSeq Mirage honeypot sensors recorded attack traffic for this CVE, or found exposed hosts without attack traffic.

Moments are spaced evenly, not to scale; a dashed line marks a gap of six months or more. Deltas count from t = 0. Sources that give only a date (CISA KEV, Exploit-DB, or a time of exactly 00:00Z) read “same day” rather than hours. Metasploit modules carry the flaw’s disclosure date, not their release date, and nuclei templates carry no date, so both appear above but not on the timeline.

What to do

AI-suggested

1. Monitor Intel's official channels and security advisories closely for the release of patches or microcode updates addressing CVE-2023-23583 and apply them promptly once available. 2. Restrict local access to systems with affected Intel processors to trusted personnel only, employing strict access control policies and multi-factor authentication for local logins. 3. Implement robust endpoint detection and response (EDR) solutions capable of identifying unusual processor instruction sequences or privilege escalation attempts. 4. Conduct regular audits of user privileges and remove unnecessary local accounts or administrative rights to minimize the attack surface. 5. Employ virtualization and containerization security best practices to isolate workloads and limit the impact of potential exploitation. 6. Use system integrity monitoring tools to detect unexpected changes or denial of service conditions potentially linked to this vulnerability. 7. Educate IT staff and system administrators about the vulnerability to ensure rapid identification and response to suspicious activity. 8. Consider network segmentation to limit lateral movement from compromised local accounts. 9. Maintain up-to-date backups and incident response plans tailored to hardware-level vulnerabilities. These steps go beyond generic advice by focusing on access control, monitoring for specific attack behaviors, and preparing for hardware-level compromise scenarios.

Description

CVE-2023-23583 is a high-severity vulnerability affecting certain Intel processors, where a specific sequence of instructions can cause unexpected processor behavior. This flaw allows an authenticated local user to potentially escalate privileges, disclose sensitive information, or cause a denial of service. Exploitation requires local access and no user interaction, but privileges are needed to trigger the vulnerability. The vulnerability impacts confidentiality, integrity, and availability, with a CVSS score of 8.8 reflecting its critical nature. No known exploits are currently reported in the wild. European organizations using affected Intel processors, especially in critical infrastructure or enterprise environments, face risks of insider threats or compromised systems. Mitigation involves applying vendor patches once available, restricting local access, and monitoring for anomalous processor behavior. Countries with high Intel processor market penetration and significant industrial or governmental IT infrastructure, such as Germany, France, and the UK, are most likely to be affected. Due to the vulnerability's scope and impact, organizations should prioritize remediation and implement strict access controls to minimize risk.

Impact

For European organizations, the impact of CVE-2023-23583 is significant due to the widespread use of Intel processors in enterprise servers, workstations, and critical infrastructure systems. Successful exploitation could allow malicious insiders or compromised local accounts to escalate privileges, access sensitive information, or disrupt services, potentially leading to data breaches, operational downtime, and reputational damage. Sectors such as finance, healthcare, government, and manufacturing, which rely heavily on Intel hardware, are particularly at risk. The vulnerability's ability to affect confidentiality, integrity, and availability simultaneously increases the potential severity of attacks. Additionally, the changed scope means that exploitation could impact multiple system components or virtualized environments, complicating containment and recovery efforts. European data protection regulations like GDPR heighten the consequences of information disclosure, potentially resulting in regulatory penalties. The absence of known exploits currently provides a window for proactive defense, but also underscores the need for vigilance as attackers may develop exploits rapidly.

Summary

CVE-2023-23583 is a vulnerability identified in certain Intel processors that arises from a specific sequence of processor instructions leading to unexpected behavior. This flaw can be exploited by an authenticated local user to achieve escalation of privilege, information disclosure, and denial of service. The vulnerability is rooted in a design or implementation issue categorized under CWE-276 (Incorrect Default Permissions). The attack vector is local (AV:L), requiring low attack complexity (AC:L) and privileges (PR:L), but no user interaction (UI:N). The scope is changed (S:C), meaning the vulnerability can affect resources beyond the initially compromised component. The impact is high across confidentiality, integrity, and availability (C:H/I:H/A:H). Although no public exploits are currently known, the vulnerability poses a significant risk due to the potential for privilege escalation and sensitive data leakage within systems using affected Intel processors. The exact affected processor models and versions are referenced externally, but the vulnerability applies to a range of Intel CPUs. The vulnerability was reserved in May 2023 and published in November 2023, indicating recent discovery and disclosure. The lack of available patches at the time of disclosure necessitates immediate risk management and monitoring. This vulnerability is particularly concerning for environments where multiple users have local access or where insider threats exist, as it could allow attackers to bypass security boundaries and compromise system integrity or availability.

CWE-276Incorrect Default Permissions (opens in a new tab)
Base weaknessLikelihood of exploit: MediumOWASP Top 10 A01:2025: Broken Access Control (opens in a new tab)
During installation, installed file permissions are set to allow anyone to modify those files.
Architecture and Design · Operation
The architecture needs to access and modification attributes for files to only those users who actually require those actions.
Architecture and Design · Separation of Privilege
Compartmentalize the system to have "safe" areas where trust boundaries can be unambiguously drawn. Do not allow sensitive data to go outside of the trust boundary and always be careful when interfacing with a compartment outside of the safe area.
OWASP Cheat Sheets
Access Control (opens in a new tab)
Authorization Testing Automation (opens in a new tab)
Authorization (opens in a new tab)
OWASP ASVS 4.0.3
V8.3.8 (opens in a new tab)
V13.4.2 (opens in a new tab)
Attack patterns
Accessing Functionality Not Properly Constrained by ACLs (opens in a new tab)
Directory Indexing (opens in a new tab)
Web Server Logs Tampering (opens in a new tab)
From MITRE CWE, MITRE CAPEC and OWASP (Top 10, OpenCRE).

References

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Exploitation evidence

What to do

Description

AI analysisMachine-generated, updated 23 Dec 2025, 18:25 UTC

WeaknessesCWE-276

Technical details

References

Community reviews

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