CVE-2023-38149
Published: 12 September 2023
Summary
CVE-2023-38149 is a high-severity Uncontrolled Resource Consumption (CWE-400) vulnerability in Microsoft Windows Server 2012. Its CVSS base score is 7.5 (High).
Operationally, ranked in the top 9.4% of CVEs by exploit likelihood; it is not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog.
Deeper analysis
CVE-2023-38149 is a denial-of-service vulnerability in the Windows TCP/IP networking stack, classified under CWE-400 with a CVSS 3.1 base score of 7.5. The flaw resides in core IP processing logic and affects Windows systems that rely on the TCP/IP driver for network communications.
An unauthenticated remote attacker can trigger the issue over the network with low complexity and no user interaction, resulting in high impact to availability while leaving confidentiality and integrity unaffected. Successful exploitation allows an adversary to disrupt service on the target without requiring credentials or prior access.
Microsoft has published official advisories and remediation guidance for CVE-2023-38149 through its security update portal, directing administrators to the corresponding security updates and configuration recommendations. The EPSS score has remained flat at 0.0567 with no observed rise after disclosure.
EU & UK References
- 🇪🇺 ENISA EUVD: EUVD-2023-41974
Vulnerability details
Windows TCP/IP Denial of Service Vulnerability
- CWE(s)
Related Threats
No named actor attribution yet. ATT&CK technique mapping in progress for this CVE.
Affected Assets
Mitigating Controls
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.
Limiting concurrent sessions directly prevents uncontrolled resource consumption by capping the number of active sessions per user or account.
Analysis identifies uncontrolled resource consumption indicative of denial-of-service or abuse attempts.
Contingency plan testing includes resource exhaustion scenarios to verify recovery, making it harder for attackers to sustain exploits that cause uncontrolled consumption.
Updated contingency plans include current procedures to detect, contain, and recover from resource exhaustion, limiting an attacker's ability to sustain impact from uncontrolled consumption.
Alternate site allows resumption of operations if resource exhaustion at the primary site is exploited to cause unavailability.
Alternate telecommunications services enable resumption of essential functions when primary services become unavailable due to uncontrolled resource consumption.
The team can analyze and respond to resource exhaustion incidents, reducing the impact of attacks that exploit uncontrolled consumption weaknesses.
Timely maintenance support and spare parts enable rapid recovery from failures induced by uncontrolled resource consumption, shortening the impact window of denial-of-service attacks.