How severe is CVE-2023-35981?

CVE-2023-35981 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 9.8, rated critical severity. It is exploitable over network with low attack complexity, requires no privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is high, integrity high, and availability high.

Is CVE-2023-35981 being actively exploited?

It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 2% (73rd percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

What products are affected by CVE-2023-35981?

CVE-2023-35981 primarily affects Arubanetworks Arubaos. In total, 2 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.

How do I fix CVE-2023-35981?

Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround. Given its critical severity, prioritise patching exposed systems.

When was CVE-2023-35981 published?

CVE-2023-35981 was published on 2023-07-25 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

CVE-2023-35981

CVE-2023-35981 is a critical-severity vulnerability in Arubanetworks Arubaos with a CVSS 3.x base score of 9.8. It is not currently listed as actively exploited by CISA, and its EPSS exploit-prediction score is low. The underlying weakness is classified as CWE-120.

Key facts

Severity: Critical (CVSS 3.x base score 9.8)
EPSS exploit prediction: 2% (73rd percentile)
Actively exploited: Not listed in CISA KEV
Weakness: CWE-120
Affected product: Arubanetworks Arubaos
Published: 2023-07-25
Last modified: 2026-06-17

Description

There are buffer overflow vulnerabilities in multiple underlying services that could lead to unauthenticated remote code execution by sending specially crafted packets destined to the PAPI (Aruba's access point management protocol) UDP port (8211). Successful exploitation of these vulnerabilities result in the ability to execute arbitrary code as a privileged user on the underlying operating system.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2023-35981?: There are buffer overflow vulnerabilities in multiple underlying services that could lead to unauthenticated remote code execution by sending specially crafted packets destined to the PAPI (Aruba's access point management protocol) UDP port (8211). Successful exploitation of these vulnerabilities result in the ability to execute arbitrary code as a privileged user on the underlying operating system.
How severe is CVE-2023-35981?: CVE-2023-35981 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 9.8, rated critical severity. It is exploitable over network with low attack complexity, requires no privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is high, integrity high, and availability high.
Is CVE-2023-35981 being actively exploited?: It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 2% (73rd percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
What products are affected by CVE-2023-35981?: CVE-2023-35981 primarily affects Arubanetworks Arubaos. In total, 2 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.
How do I fix CVE-2023-35981?: Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround. Given its critical severity, prioritise patching exposed systems.
When was CVE-2023-35981 published?: CVE-2023-35981 was published on 2023-07-25 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

References

https://www.arubanetworks.com/assets/alert/ARUBA-PSA-2023-009.txt

Affected products (2)

cpe:2.3:o:arubanetworks:arubaos:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:hp:instantos:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

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