# CVE-2023-43040: IBM Spectrum Fusion HCI improper access control

> Attackers can perform unauthorized actions in Ceph RGW due to improper bucket access controls in IBM Spectrum Fusion HCI.

- **Severity:** Medium 6.5 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:L`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Not needed
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** Yes
- **Published:** 13 May 2024
- **Updated:** 4 Nov 2025
- **Also known as:** AZL-40646, DEBIAN-CVE-2023-43040, GHSA-fwhj-j6cr-5qw4, OESA-2023-1761, UBUNTU-CVE-2023-43040, USN-6613-1

## What is CVE-2023-43040?

CVE-2023-43040 is a medium-severity missing authorization vulnerability in IBM Spectrum Fusion HCI, published on 13 May 2024. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

IBM Spectrum Fusion HCI 2.5.2 through 2.7.2 could allow an attacker to perform unauthorized actions in RGW for Ceph due to improper bucket access.  IBM X-Force ID:  266807.

Weakness: CWE-1220 (Insufficient Granularity of Access Control)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2023-43040?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Ibm Storage Fusion Hci.

## How do I fix CVE-2023-43040?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2023-43040 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2023-43040 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Public exploit code:

- CVE-2023-43040 PoC (github_poc): https://github.com/riza/CVE-2023-43040

## Other vulnerabilities in IBM Spectrum Fusion HCI

- [CVE-2023-50948](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-50948/): IBM Storage Fusion HCI information disclosure (medium 6.5)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2023-43040 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2023-43040 is a medium-severity missing authorization vulnerability in IBM Spectrum Fusion HCI, published on 13 May 2024. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2023-43040 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: IBM Spectrum Fusion HCI. No package-level version data is available, so check the vendor advisory linked from the reference page.

Task:
1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies.
2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it.
3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead.
4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why.
5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing.

Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-43040/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-43040/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2023-43040
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-43040
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2023-43040

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-43040/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.