CVE-2023-4001

Grub2: bypass the grub password protection feature

Description

An authentication bypass flaw was found in GRUB due to the way that GRUB uses the UUID of a device to search for the configuration file that contains the password hash for the GRUB password protection feature. An attacker capable of attaching an external drive such as a USB stick containing a file system with a duplicate UUID (the same as in the "/boot/" file system) can bypass the GRUB password protection feature on UEFI systems, which enumerate removable drives before non-removable ones. This issue was introduced in a downstream patch in Red Hat's version of grub2 and does not affect the upstream package.

Category

6.8
CVSS
Severity: Medium
CVSS 3.1 •
EPSS 0.02%
Vendor Advisory redhat.com Vendor Advisory redhat.com Vendor Advisory redhat.com Vendor Advisory redhat.com
Affected: Red Hat Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9
Affected: Red Hat Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9.0 Extended Update Support
Affected: Red Hat Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9.2 Extended Update Support
Affected: Red Hat Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8
Published at:
Updated at:

References

Link Tags
https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2024:0437 vendor advisory
https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2024:0456 vendor advisory
https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2024:0468 vendor advisory
https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2023-4001 third party advisory vdb entry
https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=2224951 vendor advisory issue tracking
https://dfir.ru/2024/01/15/cve-2023-4001-a-vulnerability-in-the-downstream-grub-boot-manager/ third party advisory
http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2024/01/15/3
https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce@lists.fedoraproject.org/message/3OBADMKHQLJOBA32Q7XPNSYMVHVAFDCB/
https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce@lists.fedoraproject.org/message/CHLZQ47HM64NDOHMHYO7VIJFYD5ZPPYN/
https://security.netapp.com/advisory/ntap-20240216-0006/

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the severity of CVE-2023-4001?
CVE-2023-4001 has been scored as a medium severity vulnerability.
How to fix CVE-2023-4001?
To fix CVE-2023-4001, make sure you are using an up-to-date version of the affected component(s) by checking the vendor release notes. As for now, there are no other specific guidelines available.
Is CVE-2023-4001 being actively exploited in the wild?
As for now, there are no information to confirm that CVE-2023-4001 is being actively exploited. According to its EPSS score, there is a ~0% probability that this vulnerability will be exploited by malicious actors in the next 30 days.
What software or system is affected by CVE-2023-4001?
CVE-2023-4001 affects Red Hat Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9, Red Hat Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9.0 Extended Update Support, Red Hat Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9.2 Extended Update Support, Red Hat Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8.
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