Security Resilience

CVE-2023-31439

Systemd Project Systemd 253

Published
13 June 2023
Modified
21 November 2024
Patch / advisory
CVSS Score v3.1 5.3
Click a component to see what it means
Raw vectorCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:N
EPSS Score 0.0035 27th percentile
Risk Priority 44 floored blend · peak EPSS

CVSS and EPSS are reproduced from their sources (NVD, FIRST EPSS). Risk Priority is our own derived reading, not an NVD score.

Summary

CVE-2023-31439 is a medium-severity Improper Validation of Integrity Check Value (CWE-354) vulnerability in Systemd Project Systemd. Its CVSS base score is 5.3 (Medium).

Operationally, exploitation aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique OS Credential Dumping (T1003); ranked at the 27th percentile by exploit likelihood (below the median); it is not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog.

EU & UK References

Vulnerability Data

An issue was discovered in systemd 253. An attacker can modify the contents of past events in a sealed log file and then adjust the file such that checking the integrity shows no error, despite modifications. NOTE: the vendor reportedly…

more

sent "a reply denying that any of the finding was a security vulnerability."

CWE(s)

Related Threats

MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise Techniques

T1003 OS Credential Dumping Credential Access
Adversaries may attempt to dump credentials to obtain account login and credential material, normally in the form of a hash or a clear text password.
T1010 Application Window Discovery Discovery
Adversaries may attempt to get a listing of open application windows.
T1016.002 Wi-Fi Discovery Discovery
Adversaries may search for information about Wi-Fi networks, such as network names and passwords, on compromised systems.
T1021 Remote Services Lateral Movement
Adversaries may use [Valid Accounts](https://attack.
T1021.004 SSH Lateral Movement
Adversaries may use [Valid Accounts](https://attack.
T1021.005 VNC Lateral Movement
Adversaries may use [Valid Accounts](https://attack.
Derived from this CVE’s CWE(s) via the direct CWE→ATT&CK cross-walk.

CVEs Like This One

CVE-2023-31438Same product: Systemd Project Systemd
CVE-2023-31437Same product: Systemd Project Systemd
CVE-2026-29111Same product: Systemd Project Systemd
CVE-2026-40225Same product: Systemd Project Systemd
CVE-2026-40224Same product: Systemd Project Systemd
CVE-2026-40227Same product: Systemd Project Systemd
CVE-2026-40228Same product: Systemd Project Systemd
CVE-2026-75803Shared CWE-354
CVE-2026-56416Shared CWE-354
CVE-2026-25934Shared CWE-354

Affected Assets

systemd project
systemd
253

Mitigating Controls

Control response

Prevent
Stop it (NIST 800-53)

—

Detect
Catch it (NIST detect / respond)

—

Harden
Shrink the surface (DISA STIG)
  • 10 hardening rules · 4 OS baselines
Validate
Prove the fix (OWASP ASVS)
  • V10.4.12

Likely Mitigating Controls AI

Per-CVE control mapping for this CVE has not run yet; the list below is derived from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry.

addresses: CWE-354

Proper validation of integrity check values is required for reliable tamper detection, directly reducing undetected modification risks.

addresses: CWE-354

Requires validation of integrity check values on every resolution response, directly mitigating tampered or corrupted DNS data.

addresses: CWE-354

Control mandates proper validation of integrity values (checksums) on prepared data, making flawed validation of those checks ineffective for attackers.

addresses: CWE-354

Requires use of proper integrity verification tools, reducing the chance an incorrect check value is accepted.

addresses: CWE-354

Requires proper validation of integrity mechanisms, directly mitigating flawed check-value handling.

Mitigating Controls (NIST CSF 2.0) AI

Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→CSF cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.

ID.RA-09 partial match
blocks

Mandates pre-acquisition integrity assessment, addressing only the initial portion of the weakness lifecycle.

PR.DS-01 partial match
blocks

Requires cryptographic hashes and signatures that directly enforce integrity-check validation for data at rest.

PR.DS-02 partial match
blocks

Requires cryptographic hashes and signatures that directly enforce integrity-check validation for data in transit.

RC.RP-03 partial match
blocks

Requires verification of backup integrity, covering validation only within recovery scenarios.

Mitigating Controls (ISO/IEC 27001:2022 Annex A) AI

Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→ISO cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.

removes
removes
removes
removes
removes

Hardening callouts derived

Configuration rules from DISA STIG baselines that bear on weaknesses of the type cited by this CVE. Each rule is shown with the relationship its mapping actually records, against the CWE it was authored against. Derived via CVE→CWE over `controls_xwalks` (higher-evidence rows only; rows rated `none` are excluded).

Oracle Linux 8 (2 rules)
  • V-248574 YUM must be configured to prevent the installation of patches, service packs, device drivers, or OL 8 system components that have not been digitally signed using a certificate that is recognized and approved by the organization. blocks CWE-354
  • V-248575 OL 8 must prevent the installation of software, patches, service packs, device drivers, or operating system components of local packages without verification they have been digitally signed using a certificate that is issued by a Certificate Authority (CA) that is recognized and approved by the organization. blocks CWE-354
Oracle Linux 9 (1 rule)
  • V-271523 OL 9 must check the GPG signature of locally installed software packages before installation. blocks CWE-354
RHEL 7 (2 rules)
  • V-204447 The Red Hat Enterprise Linux operating system must prevent the installation of software, patches, service packs, device drivers, or operating system components from a repository without verification they have been digitally signed using a certificate that is issued by a Certificate Authority (CA) that is recognized and approved by the organization. blocks CWE-354
  • V-204448 The Red Hat Enterprise Linux operating system must prevent the installation of software, patches, service packs, device drivers, or operating system components of local packages without verification they have been digitally signed using a certificate that is issued by a Certificate Authority (CA) that is recognized and approved by the organization. blocks CWE-354
RHEL 8 (2 rules)
  • V-230264 RHEL 8 must prevent the installation of software, patches, service packs, device drivers, or operating system components from a repository without verification they have been digitally signed using a certificate that is issued by a Certificate Authority (CA) that is recognized and approved by the organization. blocks CWE-354
  • V-230265 RHEL 8 must prevent the installation of software, patches, service packs, device drivers, or operating system components of local packages without verification they have been digitally signed using a certificate that is issued by a Certificate Authority (CA) that is recognized and approved by the organization. blocks CWE-354

References