Security control bypass via inactive glitch detection
Published Jan 3, 2024 · Updated Jun 3, 2025
Improper fault-injection protection in Silicon Labs GSDK before 4.4.0 allows physically proximate attackers to compromise devices. Default initialization leaves Cortex-M33 glitch detection inactive on Secure Vault High EFx32xG2xB parts other than EFR32xG21B, so injected faults are not detected. Exploitation requires physical access and fault-injection equipment; Silicon Labs has not published the exact operation or security boundary that a successful glitch bypasses.
Summary
What happened
Improper fault-injection protection in Silicon Labs GSDK before 4.4.0 allows physically proximate attackers to compromise devices. Default initialization leaves Cortex-M33 glitch detection inactive on Secure Vault High EFx32xG2xB parts other than EFR32xG21B, so injected faults are not detected. Exploitation requires physical access and fault-injection equipment; Silicon Labs has not published the exact operation or security boundary that a successful glitch bypasses.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2023-5138
- Published
- Jan 3, 2024
- Updated
- Jun 3, 2025
- Vendor
- Sigma Designs
- Product
- Gecko SDK (GSDK)
- Classifications
- CWE-1319
- Attack vector
- physical
- Privileges
- unauthenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Jan 3, 2024CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- Jun 3, 2025Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.
Exploitability
Present is not the same as exploitable
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Is a vulnerable build present?
Compare these published version ranges with your installed build and any vendor patches.
- Affected versionversion=1.0 <4.4.0
What conditions does exploitation require?
What is affected?
Published CVSS scores
CVSS describes severity. EPSS estimates exploitation probability.
Attacks
What attackers are doing with it
Daily unique IPs observed by Shadowserver honeypots for known exploited vulnerabilities (KEVs). Missing observations do not establish an absence of attacks.
Weakness, pattern, technique
Public exploit references
No public exploit references are available in this record.
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Technologies
Your stack
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Your stack
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