CVE-2023-45229VulnerabilityPublished 16 Jan 2024Updated 4 Nov 2025

CVE-2023-45229: TianoCore edk2 · Out-of-bounds Read

Affects TianoCore edk2Source CVE Database V5

Not known to be exploited · CVSS 6.5 Medium.

Data as of 25 Oct 2026, 19:02 UTC

CVSS 3.1 base score

6.5Medium

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

EPSS: 0.9% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 61% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.

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

Attack Vector: Adjacent
Attack Complexity: Low
Privileges Required: None
User Interaction: None
Scope: Unchanged
Confidentiality: High
Integrity: None
Availability: None

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

Attack Vector: Adjacent: The vulnerable component is bound to the network stack, but the attack is limited at the protocol level to a logically adjacent topology. This can mean an attack must be launched from the same shared physical (e.g., Bluetooth or IEEE 802.11) or logical (e.g., local IP subnet) network, or from within a secure or otherwise limited administrative domain (e.g., MPLS, secure VPN to an administrative network zone).
Attack Complexity: Low: Specialized access conditions or extenuating circumstances do not exist. An attacker can expect repeatable success against the vulnerable component.
Privileges Required: None: The attacker is unauthorized prior to attack, and therefore does not require any access to settings or files to carry out an attack.
User Interaction: None: The vulnerable system can be exploited without any interaction from any user.
Scope: Unchanged: An exploited vulnerability can only affect resources managed by the same security authority. In this case, the vulnerable component and the impacted component are either the same, or both are managed by the same security authority.
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: None: There is no loss of integrity within the impacted component.
Availability: None: There is no impact to availability within the impacted component.

Definitions: FIRST CVSS v3.1 specification.

Exploitation evidence

Disclosed: evidence found.
CVE published 16 Jan 2024
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 2026-10-25.

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

Organizations should monitor TianoCore and vendor advisories for patches addressing CVE-2023-45229 and apply updates promptly once available. Until patches are released, network segmentation should be enforced to restrict access to DHCPv6 services, limiting exposure to trusted devices only. Implement strict DHCPv6 traffic filtering and anomaly detection to identify and block malformed Advertise messages. Firmware vendors and integrators should review their use of edk2 components and consider disabling or restricting DHCPv6 network boot features if not required. Conduct thorough firmware inventory and validation to identify affected systems. Employ network-level protections such as DHCP snooping and port security to prevent unauthorized DHCPv6 servers from injecting malicious packets. Additionally, organizations should enhance monitoring of firmware-related logs and network traffic for suspicious DHCPv6 activity. Collaboration with hardware and firmware suppliers is critical to ensure timely patch deployment and coordinated response.

Description

EDK2's Network Package is susceptible to an out-of-bounds read vulnerability when processing the IA_NA or IA_TA option in a DHCPv6 Advertise message. This vulnerability can be exploited by an attacker to gain unauthorized access and potentially lead to a loss of Confidentiality.

Impact

For European organizations, the primary impact is the potential unauthorized disclosure of sensitive information from firmware memory during DHCPv6 processing. This can undermine confidentiality, especially in environments where firmware integrity and secure boot processes are critical, such as government, finance, healthcare, and critical infrastructure sectors. Attackers exploiting this vulnerability could gain insights into firmware internals or cryptographic material, potentially facilitating further attacks. Since the vulnerability affects network-facing firmware components, it can be exploited remotely within the local network or via compromised network segments. The impact is heightened in organizations using DHCPv6 extensively for network configuration or PXE boot environments. Loss of confidentiality at the firmware level can have cascading effects on system trustworthiness and security posture. However, the vulnerability does not directly impact system integrity or availability, limiting the scope of damage to information disclosure. The absence of known exploits reduces immediate risk but does not eliminate the threat, especially as threat actors may develop exploits over time.

CWE-125Out-of-bounds Read (opens in a new tab)
Base weaknessCWE Top 25 (2025): #8
The product reads data past the end, or before the beginning, of the intended buffer.
Implementation · Input Validation
Assume all input is malicious. Use an "accept known good" input validation strategy, i.e., use a list of acceptable inputs that strictly conform to specifications. Reject any input that does not strictly conform to specifications, or transform it into something that does.
Architecture and Design · Language Selection
Use a language that provides appropriate memory abstractions.
OWASP Cheat Sheets
XML Security (opens in a new tab)
Mass Assignment (opens in a new tab)
OWASP ASVS 4.0.3
V13.3.1 (opens in a new tab)
V5.1.4 (opens in a new tab)
V5.1.3 (opens in a new tab)
Attack patterns
Overread Buffers (opens in a new tab)
From MITRE CWE, MITRE CAPEC and OWASP (Top 10, OpenCRE).

References

Community reviews

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Exploitation evidence

What to do

Description

AI analysisMachine-generated, updated 11 Nov 2025, 01:25 UTC

WeaknessesCWE-125

Technical details

References

Community reviews

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