Evidence used
- No CISA KEV confirmation is currently recorded.
- A structured source references public exploit or proof-of-concept material.
- EPSS is 0.81% for the current model date.
BlackTreeCVE IntelligenceFull vulnerability report · 2023
CVE-2022-23005High confidence
Host Boot ROM Code Vulnerability in Systems Implementing UFS Boot Feature
NA · NA
8.7HighCVSS 3.1
Within 7 days
Fix not verifiedHigh technical severity with public exploit material referenced by a structured source; prioritise exposed affected systems while verifying vendor guidance.
R
Open reassessment dashboard →Operational reassessment
Published severity in operational context
Published severityHigh→Operational priority:Critical, raised one band.upgradedsince 1 Apr 2025
Compensating controls
- Restrict the affected network interface to trusted sources where business-safe.
- Increase monitoring for the attack path and post-exploitation behaviour described in the report.
Verification
- Confirm that the asset runs NA NA and falls inside the recorded affected range.
- Recheck the vendor advisory before scheduling a change because no verified fixed version is currently retained.
- Validate exposure, authentication requirements and compensating controls in the actual environment.
- Reopen this reassessment when CVSS, KEV, EPSS, exploit evidence or remediation changes.
High technical severity with public exploit material referenced by a structured source; prioritise exposed affected systems while verifying vendor guidance.
Fix not verified01
What, why and how
Western Digital has identified a weakness in the UFS standard that could result in a security vulnerability. This vulnerability may exist in some systems where the Host boot ROM code implements the UFS Boot feature to boot from UFS compliant storage devices. The UFS Boot feature, as specified in the UFS standard, is provided by UFS devices to support platforms that need to download the system boot loader from external non-volatile storage locations. Several scenarios have been identified in which adversaries may disable the boot capability, or revert to an old boot loader code, if the host boot ROM code is improperly implemented. UFS Host Boot ROM implementers may be impacted by this vulnerability. UFS devices are only impacted when connected to a vulnerable UFS Host and are not independently impacted by this vulnerability. When present, the vulnerability is in the UFS Host implementation and is not a vulnerability in Western Digital UFS Devices. Western Digital has provided details of the vulnerability to the JEDEC standards body, multiple vendors of host processors, and software solutions providers.
What
Western Digital has identified a weakness in the UFS standard that could result in a security vulnerability. This vulnerability may exist in some systems where the Host boot ROM code implements the UFS Boot feature to boot from UFS compliant storage devices. The UFS Boot feature, as specified in the UFS standard, is provided by UFS devices to support platforms that need to download the system boot loader from external non-volatile storage locations. Several scenarios have been identified in which adversaries may disable the boot capability, or revert to an old boot loader code, if the host boot ROM code is improperly implemented. UFS Host Boot ROM implementers may be impacted by this vulnerability. UFS devices are only impacted when connected to a vulnerable UFS Host and are not independently impacted by this vulnerability. When present, the vulnerability is in the UFS Host implementation and is not a vulnerability in Western Digital UFS Devices. Western Digital has provided details of the vulnerability to the JEDEC standards body, multiple vendors of host processors, and software solutions providers.
Why
The hardware design control register sticky bits or write-once bit fields are improperly implemented, such that they can be reprogrammed by software.
How
An attacker operating through a network path may attempt exploitation with elevated privileges. If successful, the issue may cause the confidentiality, integrity or availability impact described by the vendor.
What
Western Digital has identified a weakness in the UFS standard that could result in a security vulnerability. This vulnerability may exist in some systems where the Host boot ROM code implements the UFS Boot feature to boot from UFS compliant storage devices. The UFS Boot feature, as specified in the UFS standard, is provided by UFS devices to support platforms that need to download the system boot loader from external non-volatile storage locations. Several scenarios have been identified in which adversaries may disable the boot capability, or revert to an old boot loader code, if the host boot ROM code is improperly implemented. UFS Host Boot ROM implementers may be impacted by this vulnerability. UFS devices are only impacted when connected to a vulnerable UFS Host and are not independently impacted by this vulnerability. When present, the vulnerability is in the UFS Host implementation and is not a vulnerability in Western Digital UFS Devices. Western Digital has provided details of the vulnerability to the JEDEC standards body, multiple vendors of host processors, and software solutions providers.
Why
The hardware design control register sticky bits or write-once bit fields are improperly implemented, such that they can be reprogrammed by software.
How
An attacker operating through a network path may attempt exploitation with elevated privileges. If successful, the issue may cause the confidentiality, integrity or availability impact described by the vendor.
02
Exploit reality and attack path
CVSS severity, EPSS forecast probability, public exploit material and CISA-confirmed exploitation are separate signals.
Observed exploitation No confirmed evidence
?
Confirmed exploitation and public exploit material are separate signals. Attacks can occur without public proof-of-concept or exploit code.No CISA KEV match was present at the last successful refresh. This means no confirmation from that source, not proof of no exploitation.
Public PoC / exploit material Reference recorded
?
Confirmed exploitation and public exploit material are separate signals. Attacks can occur without public proof-of-concept or exploit code.A structured CVE source labels at least one public reference as exploit material. BlackTree has not independently validated that it is safe, reliable or weaponised.
- Likely attack path
- a network path → Improper Restriction of Write-Once Bit Fields → cause the confidentiality, integrity or availability impact described by the vendor
- Attack surface
- Network
- Privileges required
- High: elevated access is required
- User interaction
- None
- Attack complexity
- Low: no specialised conditions are recorded
- Security boundary
- Changed: exploitation can affect a different security authority
- Weakness
?
CWE means Common Weakness Enumeration: a standard category for the underlying weakness. - CWE-1224 ↗
CWE-1224: Improper Restriction of Write-Once Bit Fields. The hardware design control register sticky bits or write-once bit fields are improperly implemented, such that they can be reprogrammed by software.
- CVSS vector
?
CVSS means Common Vulnerability Scoring System. The vector records the metric values used to calculate technical severity. CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:C/C:N/I:H/A:HCommon Vulnerability Scoring System 3.1: the compact vector below is decoded into plain language.
AVNetworkAttack vector: The vulnerable component can be reached over a network.ACLowAttack complexity: No specialised conditions are required beyond attacker-controlled input.PRHighPrivileges required: The attacker needs elevated or administrative privileges.UINoneUser interaction: No action by another user is required.SChangedScope: The attack can affect a component governed by a different security authority.CNoneConfidentiality impact: No direct loss is represented by this metric.IHighIntegrity impact: A successful attack can cause a major loss.AHighAvailability impact: A successful attack can cause a major loss.- Post-exploitation / living off the land
- No specific living-off-the-land technique is confirmed in the structured sources. Monitor normal administration tools for activity inconsistent with the affected service's baseline.
03
Patch and workaround
Operational remediation based on structured source evidence.
- Status
?
Patch availability is based on structured fixed-version fields and authoritative update references. If no fix is verified, check the vendor advisory before making a change. - Fix not verified
- Affected
- NA: NA
- Fixed
- No fixed version is explicitly recorded in the structured CVE data.
- Action
- No verified patch reference is present in the current structured sources. Check the vendor advisory before making a change.
- Workaround
- No verified workaround is recorded. If business-safe, reduce exposure to the affected interface and allow only trusted sources until authoritative guidance is available.
04
Evidence and provenance
Published 23 Jan 2023 · Last source change 1 Apr 2025, 19:56 UTC · CWE-1224 · Improper Restriction of Write-Once Bit Fields
CVE recordCVE.org · 5.1
CVSS sourceCNA
EPSS source FIRST · tracked since 2026-08-14
?
The date BlackTree first stored a score for this CVE from the daily FIRST EPSS feed.European sourceENISA EUVD · EUVD-2022-28116
Product sourceCNA
Remediation sourceCVE/CNA references
CWE sourceCNA
NVD statusNVD modified after enrichment
Core structured fields are present and their contributing authorities are shown above.
Material change intelligence
View recent updates ↗What changed after publication
No material field changes have been recorded since change tracking began. Routine source refreshes and cosmetic edits are intentionally excluded.
Technical terms and abbreviations used in this report
- CVE
- Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures: the public identifier for one disclosed vulnerability.
- CVSS
- Common Vulnerability Scoring System: a technical severity framework; it is not patching priority by itself.
- EPSS
- Exploit Prediction Scoring System: FIRST's estimate of the probability that exploitation activity will be observed in the next 30 days; it is a forecast, not confirmation.
- CWE
- Common Weakness Enumeration: the standard category describing the underlying software or hardware weakness.
- CNA
- CVE Numbering Authority: an organisation authorised to assign and publish CVE records.
- CISA ADP
- Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency Authorized Data Publisher: structured enrichment added to a CVE record.
- NVD
- National Vulnerability Database: NIST's enrichment service for CVE records.
- CERT / CSIRT
- A computer security incident response team that publishes warnings or coordinates incident response.
- PoC
- Proof of concept: public material that demonstrates or helps reproduce exploitation.
- CSAF
- Common Security Advisory Framework: a machine-readable format for security advisories.
- LoTL
- Living off the land: abuse of legitimate tools or system functions during an attack.