Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
This CVE describes a theoretical OpenSSH authentication bypass under a narrow hardware threat model: an attacker already has local user access and can induce DRAM bit flips. It is serious if that co-location model exists, but the OpenSSH supplier disputes responsibility for defending against the underlying platform weakness.
Executive priority
Treat as a focused risk review, not an internet-wide emergency. Prioritize systems with untrusted local users, shared infrastructure, or sensitive administrative access. Ask infrastructure owners to confirm exposure assumptions and vendor status before disruptive remediation.
Technical view
The report concerns OpenSSH through 10.0 and a single-bit flip affecting the integer authenticated value in password authentication monitor logic. CVSS is 7.0 with local access, high complexity, and low privileges required. The issue depends on Rowhammer-prone DRAM and attacker-victim co-location.
Likely exposure
Highest concern is shared or multi-user Linux/Unix systems where untrusted users can run local workloads near SSH authentication processes on susceptible DRAM. Typical single-tenant servers with controlled local access have materially lower exposure based on the provided threat model.
Exploitation context
No KEV listing or provided source states active exploitation. The source bundle frames exploitation as Rowhammer-based, local, high-complexity, and dependent on user privileges plus hardware co-location. The supplier dispute further limits certainty about practical software remediation.
Researcher notes
Evidence centers on OpenSSH monitor/password-auth code paths and Rowhammer research. The CVE is disputed by the supplier, and the bundle does not provide a definitive upstream patch. Avoid asserting exploitability outside the stated co-location, local-privilege, susceptible-DRAM model.
Mitigation direction
- Inventory systems running OpenSSH through 10.0.
- Check Red Hat, Ubuntu, NetApp, and OpenSSH guidance for applicability.
- Reduce untrusted local user access on potentially affected hosts.
- Review multi-tenant workload placement and hardware isolation assumptions.
- Apply vendor-provided packages if your vendor lists a fixed build.
Validation and detection
- Confirm OpenSSH versions and vendor package status across server fleets.
- Identify hosts allowing untrusted local shell or workload execution.
- Assess whether deployed DRAM and tenant placement match the Rowhammer threat model.
- Review authentication logs for anomalies without assuming exploit detection is reliable.
- Track vendor advisories for changed status, dispute notes, or mitigations.
Public sources used
Generated from the cited source records. This long-tail analysis has not been individually reviewed by a named human.
Conservative CVE-to-ATT&CK context
These mappings and lookup hints may be relevant to the vulnerability behavior, CWE, affected product, or exposure path. Glexia-inferred context is not an official MITRE, ATT&CK, CWE, or CVE Program mapping.
ATT&CK lookup starting points
Use these exact CWE pages and searches to review the Glexia ATT&CK library from this CVE's weakness and description context.
Credential and access behavior lookup
The CVE wording references authentication or credential exposure, so valid-account and credential-access review may help. This is a Glexia inferred lookup path, not an official MITRE, ATT&CK, or CVE Program mapping.
Open ATT&CK lookupCVE-2023-51767 mapping review
Open the CVE-to-ATT&CK bridge for reviewed, inferred, or future official mappings tied to this CVE.
Open ATT&CK lookup- Severity
- High
- CVSS
- 7 (3.1)
- Known Exploited
- No
- Published
Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
CNA and ADP enrichment extracted from CVE v5
These fields come from the CVE record and ADP containers, not from Glexia's Take. They preserve time-varying source decisions such as CISA SSVC, KEV status, CVSS metrics, and provider references.
SSVC decision data
CVSS vector scores
1 official scoreWe collect every scored CVSS vector available in the official CNA and ADP containers. When more than one version is present, the table keeps the source vectors side by side instead of collapsing them into the highest score.
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H15.9CISA-ADPVulnerability scoring details
Base CVSS 3.1 score
7HighVector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Vulnerability timeline
Timeline events are normalized from CVE metadata, CNA source timelines, ADP timelines, and KEV metadata when present.
- CVE publishedCVE Program
The CVE record was published.
- CVE reservedCVE Program
The CVE ID was reserved by the assigning CNA.
- CVE updatedCVE Program
The CVE record metadata indicates this as the latest update time.
ADP provider summaries
Source materials
- CVE List V5 sourceCVE List V5
- https://arxiv.org/abs/2309.02545CVE reference, mitre
- https://github.com/openssh/openssh-portable/blob/8241b9c0529228b4b86d88b1a6076fb9f97e4a99/monitor.c#L878CVE reference, mitre
- https://github.com/openssh/openssh-portable/blob/8241b9c0529228b4b86d88b1a6076fb9f97e4a99/auth-passwd.c#L77CVE reference, mitre
- https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=2255850CVE reference, mitre
- https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2023-51767CVE reference, mitre
- https://ubuntu.com/security/CVE-2023-51767CVE reference, mitre
- https://security.netapp.com/advisory/ntap-20240125-0006/CVE reference, mitre
- https://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2025/09/22/1CVE reference, mitre
Products and packages named in the record
CWE details
CWE links open Glexia weakness intelligence pages with official CWE context, developer remediation guidance, and related CVE mappings.