CyberWatch

Critical Linux Kernel Vulnerability Affecting NetApp Products

By

By

Access Point Consulting

Summary

A Critical vulnerability has been identified within NetApp products categorized as CVE-2023-45871. This vulnerability was identified was discovered and reported to NVD on 10/19/2023 and was recently reported affecting NetApp products on 11/10/2023. This vulnerability affects Linux kernel versions prior to 6.5.3 and as multiple NetApp products utilize the Linux kernel, they are vulnerable.

Impact Assessment

Successful exploitation of this vulnerability could lead to disclosure of sensitive information, addition or modification of data, or denial of service. There are no confirmed affected products for this vulnerability at this time, but there are several products which are currently being investigated as potentially vulnerable. These potential vulnerable products are listed below:

  1. AFF Baseboard Management Controller (BMC) - A700s
  2. Brocade Fabric Operating System Firmware
  3. NetApp HCI Baseboard Management Controller (BMC) - H410C
  4. NetApp HCI Baseboard Management Controller (BMC) - H610C
  5. NetApp HCI Baseboard Management Controller (BMC) - H610S
  6. NetApp HCI Baseboard Management Controller (BMC) - H615C
  7. NetApp HCI Compute Node (Bootstrap OS)
  8. NetApp SolidFire & HCI Management Node
  9. NetApp SolidFire & HCI Storage Node (Element Software)
  10. SnapCenter Plug-in for VMware vSphere/BlueXP backup and Recovery for Virtual Machine

What it means for you

Due to this vulnerability still being under investigation, it is important to audit your organization’s software inventory to ensure that none of the products under investigation are in use by your organization. If they are using any of the products under investigation, monitoring the vendor’s advisory is paramount as no workarounds or software fixes have been supplied.

Remediation

For the vulnerability in general updating to a Linux Kernel version after 6.5.3 would remediate. However, for NetApp products there has been no official workarounds or fixes for this vulnerability. The only option is to monitor the advisory to check for possible updates on status for remediation.

Business Implications

Exploitation of the vulnerability can lead to disclosure of sensitive information, modification of data, or denial of service. All of which could cause monetary, reputational, or data loss because of exploitation.

Access Point Technology Recommends

Monitor: Check the vendor’s advisory periodically for updates if you are potentially affected by this vulnerability as the products under investigation could be classified as vulnerable at any time. In this case a vendor patch would be the only way to remediate as there are no workarounds.

Defense in Depth: A vulnerability and situation such as this reinforces the ideal of defense in depth. Having multiple layers of protections in place will assist in preventing exploitation of critical vulnerabilities.

Associated Bulletins

https://security.netapp.com/advisory/ntap-20231110-0001/

https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/stable/linux.git/commit/?id=bb5ed01cd2428cd25b1c88a3a9cba87055eb289f

Resources

Latest Resources

Resources

CyberWatch

April 2, 2025

Scott "Monty" Montgomery (Island) | Navigating CMMC compliance for organizations of every size

Scott Montgomery, known as Monty, joined the CyberWatch Expert Series podcast to discuss his extensive background in cybersecurity, particularly in building and designing network security tools for high-assurance environments like the Department of Defense (DoD) and the intelligence community. His experience includes significant tenure at McAfee (now Trellix), which led him to his current role at Island, where he focuses on innovative approaches to cybersecurity compliance.

Find out more
March 19, 2025

Michael Sviben (DomainGuard) | Defending against phishing and building proactive security awareness

Cybersecurity threats evolve rapidly, and one tactic consistently rises above the rest: phishing. In this episode of CyberWatch, Michael Sviben, co-founder of DomainGuard, discusses why phishing remains so effective, how businesses and individuals become targets, and what you can do to stay vigilant.

Find out more
March 5, 2025

David Habib (Brightspot) | Building a culture of cybersecurity awareness

Cybersecurity awareness is often reduced to check-the-box training, but David Habib, CIO at Brightspot, argues that real security awareness isn’t about formal programs—it’s about making security part of a company’s culture. In this episode, he shares practical insights on how organizations can move beyond stale training sessions to create an engaged and security-conscious workforce.

Find out more