CVE-2023-4258 : Security Advisory and Response

This CVE-2023-4258 article provides insights into a vulnerability found in the Bluetooth mesh implementation on the provisionee side.

Understanding CVE-2023-4258

This section delves into the details of CVE-2023-4258, shedding light on the vulnerability, its impact, technical aspects, and mitigation strategies.

What is CVE-2023-4258?

The vulnerability identified as CVE-2023-4258 pertains to the Bluetooth mesh implementation. Specifically, if the provisionee possesses a public key sent out-of-band (OOB), it can be resent during provisioning and subsequently accepted by the provisionee.

The Impact of CVE-2023-4258

The impact of this vulnerability is categorized under CAPEC-153: Input Data Manipulation. It poses a risk as it allows for potential unauthorized acceptance of public keys during the provisioning process, leading to confidentiality issues.

Technical Details of CVE-2023-4258

This section provides in-depth technical information regarding the vulnerability, affected systems, and the exploitation mechanism.

Vulnerability Description

The vulnerability in the Bluetooth mesh provisioning protocol implementation allows for the retransmission and acceptance of a public key by the provisionee, even if it was initially sent out-of-band.

Affected Systems and Versions

The Zephyr project's Zephyr system version 1.14 with a git version less than or equal to 3.4 is confirmed to be affected by CVE-2023-4258.

Exploitation Mechanism

The vulnerability can be exploited by an attacker leveraging the flawed provisioning protocol to resend public keys out-of-band and have them accepted by the provisionee.

Mitigation and Prevention

This section outlines steps to mitigate and prevent the exploitation of CVE-2023-4258, emphasizing immediate actions and long-term security practices.

Immediate Steps to Take

Upgrade the affected Zephyr systems to versions above 3.4 to mitigate the vulnerability.
Implement additional security measures to ensure the secure provisioning of public keys and prevent unauthorized access.

Long-Term Security Practices

Regular security audits and assessments of the Bluetooth mesh implementations to identify and address potential vulnerabilities.
Train personnel on best practices for secure provisioning and maintaining the integrity of public key exchanges.

Patching and Updates

Stay updated with security advisories from the Zephyr project and apply relevant patches promptly to enhance system security and resilience against such vulnerabilities.