Cyber Resilience

CVE-2023-48674

Dell Optiplex Xe3 Firmware ≤ 1.28.0

Published
01 March 2024
Modified
31 January 2025
Patch / advisory
View advisory
CVSS Score v3.1 6.8
Click a component to see what it means
Raw vectorCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:C/C:N/I:N/A:H
EPSS Score 0.0049 40th percentile
Risk Priority 45 floored blend · peak EPSS

Summary

CVE-2023-48674 is a medium-severity Improper Null Termination (CWE-170) vulnerability in Dell Optiplex Xe3 Firmware. Its CVSS base score is 6.8 (Medium).

Operationally, exploitation aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique Exploitation for Privilege Escalation (T1068); ranked at the 40th percentile by exploit likelihood (below the median); 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 SA-15 (Development Process, Standards, and Tools) — see the control section below for these in your framework.

EU & UK References

Vulnerability Data

Dell Platform BIOS contains an Improper Null Termination vulnerability. A high privilege user with network access to the system could potentially send malicious data to the device in order to cause some services to cease to function.

CWE(s)
CWE-170NVD-CWE-Other

Related Threats

MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise Techniques

T1068 Exploitation for Privilege Escalation Privilege Escalation
Adversaries may exploit software vulnerabilities in an attempt to elevate privileges.
attack.mitre.org →
T1190 Exploit Public-Facing Application Initial Access
Adversaries may attempt to exploit a weakness in an Internet-facing host or system to initially access a network.
attack.mitre.org →
T1203 Exploitation for Client Execution Execution
Adversaries may exploit software vulnerabilities in client applications to execute code.
attack.mitre.org →
T1210 Exploitation of Remote Services Lateral Movement
Adversaries may exploit remote services to gain unauthorized access to internal systems once inside of a network.
attack.mitre.org →
T1212 Exploitation for Credential Access Credential Access
Adversaries may exploit software vulnerabilities in an attempt to collect credentials.
attack.mitre.org →
Derived from this CVE’s CWE(s) via the direct CWE→ATT&CK cross-walk.

CVEs Like This One

CVE-2023-28063Same product: Dell Latitude 5290
CVE-2024-0158Same product: Dell Latitude 5280
CVE-2024-32855Same product: Dell Latitude 5288
CVE-2024-22448Same product: Dell Latitude 5310
CVE-2023-28041Same product: Dell Latitude 5280
CVE-2023-28029Same product: Dell Latitude 5280
CVE-2023-28056Same product: Dell Latitude 5280
CVE-2023-28027Same product: Dell Latitude 5280
CVE-2023-28052Same product: Dell Latitude 5280
CVE-2023-28039Same product: Dell Latitude 5280

Affected Assets

dell
precision 3430 tower firmware
≤ 1.28.0
dell
precision 3431 tower firmware
≤ 1.24.0
dell
precision 3630 tower firmware
≤ 2.26.0
dell
precision 5820 tower firmware
≤ 2.34.0
dell
precision 7820 tower firmware
≤ 2.38.0
dell
precision 7920 tower firmware
≤ 2.38.0
dell
latitude 5280 firmware
≤ 1.34.0
dell
latitude 5288 firmware
≤ 1.34.0
dell
latitude 5290 firmware
≤ 1.33.0
dell
latitude 5290 2-in-1 firmware
≤ 1.32.0
+163 more product configuration(s) — see NVD for full list

Mitigating Controls

Mitigating Controls (NIST 800-53 r5) AI

SA-11 Developer Testing and Evaluation good match

Developer testing and evaluation can discover missing or incorrect string termination during code review or dynamic analysis.

SA-15 Development Process, Standards, and Tools partial match

Requiring documented development standards and tools can enforce safe string-handling practices that produce correct null termination.

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.

PR.PS-06 mostly match
prevents

Secure SDLC practices directly enforce correct string/array termination via coding standards, reviews, and static analysis.

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.

A.8.29 Security testing in development and acceptance mostly match
finds

Security testing in development can detect missing or incorrect null terminators before release.

A.8.25 Secure development life cycle partial match
prevents

Secure SDLC mandates input validation and string handling rules that prevent missing null terminators.

A.8.26 Application security requirements partial match
prevents

Application security requirements can explicitly call for proper string termination and buffer handling.

A.8.27 Secure system architecture and engineering principles partial match
degrades

Secure architecture principles include defensive coding practices that address buffer and string termination issues.

A.8.28 Secure coding partial match
prevents

Secure coding standards directly require correct null termination of strings and arrays.

References