Raw vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:HSummary
CVE-2023-38036 is a critical-severity Classic Buffer Overflow (CWE-120) vulnerability in Ivanti Avalanche. Its CVSS base score is 9.8 (Critical).
Operationally, exploitation aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique Exploitation for Privilege Escalation (T1068); ranked in the top 23% of CVEs by exploit likelihood; it is not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog.
The strongest mitigations our analysis identified map to SA-11 (Developer Testing and Evaluation) and SI-10 (Information Input Validation) — see the control section below for these in your framework.
Deeper analysis AI-assisted summary
Synthesised by an AI model from the NVD description and linked references — a reading aid, not an authoritative source.
CVE-2023-38036 is a buffer overflow vulnerability (CWE-120) in Ivanti Avalanche Manager versions prior to 6.4.1. The flaw arises from inadequate input validation, allowing an unauthenticated attacker to trigger the overflow via crafted network requests to the affected service.
An unauthenticated attacker with network access can exploit this vulnerability with low complexity and no user interaction required, as indicated by its CVSS v3.1 base score of 9.8 (AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H). Successful exploitation could lead to service disruption through denial of service or arbitrary code execution, potentially compromising confidentiality, integrity, and availability of the targeted system.
Ivanti's security advisory at https://forums.ivanti.com/s/article/Security-Advisory-Avalanche-CVE-2023-38036 details mitigation steps, including upgrading to Ivanti Avalanche Manager version 6.4.1 or later, where the vulnerability is addressed. Security practitioners should apply patches promptly and review network exposure of Avalanche Manager instances.
EU & UK References
- 🇪🇺 ENISA EUVD: EUVD-2023-41863
Vulnerability Data
A security vulnerability within Ivanti Avalanche Manager before version 6.4.1 may allow an unauthenticated attacker to create a buffer overflow that could result in service disruption or arbitrary code execution.
- CWE(s)
Related Threats
MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise Techniques
CVEs Like This One
Affected Assets
Mitigating Controls
Control response
—
—
—
V5.2.1
Mitigating Controls (NIST 800-53 r5) AI
Developer testing and analysis can find missing size checks before deployment.
Input validation directly enforces size checks before buffer copies.
Engineering principles require bounds checking and safe buffer handling in design.
Memory protection limits the impact of an overflow once it occurs.
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.
Secure development practices directly enforce bounds checking and input validation that prevent classic buffer overflows.
Vulnerability identification processes such as code review or scanning detect classic buffer overflows before exploitation.
Routine patching replaces vulnerable code containing unchecked buffer copies with corrected versions.
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.
Secure coding directly requires bounds-checked memory operations, addressing the root cause of CWE-120.
Security testing in development and acceptance can detect buffer overflows through fuzzing and static analysis, though it does not prevent them at the source.
Secure development life cycle mandates processes that can include input validation and bounds checking to prevent buffer overflows.
Application security requirements can specify input-size validation and safe buffer handling to mitigate classic buffer overflows.
Secure system architecture and engineering principles promote defensive coding patterns that reduce the likelihood of unchecked buffer copies.