# CVE-2023-5960: Privilege escalation in USG FLEX series firmware

> An authenticated local attacker can exploit improper privilege management in the hotspot feature to access system files on Zyxel USG FLEX and VPN devices.

- **Severity:** Medium 5.5 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Any signed-in user
- **Attackable:** Local or same network only
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 28 Nov 2023
- **Updated:** 2 Aug 2024
- **Also known as:** GHSA-jqv4-rmqv-7747

## What is CVE-2023-5960?

CVE-2023-5960 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Zyxel USG FLEX series firmware, published on 28 Nov 2023. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

An improper privilege management vulnerability in the hotspot feature of the Zyxel USG FLEX series firmware versions 4.50 through 5.37 and VPN series firmware versions 4.30 through 5.37 could allow an authenticated local attacker to access the system files on an affected device.

Weakness: CWE-269 (Improper Privilege Management)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2023-5960?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Zyxel Zld.

## How do I fix CVE-2023-5960?

No fix has been published for CVE-2023-5960 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2023-5960 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2023-5960 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in Zyxel USG FLEX series firmware

- [CVE-2024-11667](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2024-11667/): Zyxel Multiple Firewalls Path Traversal (high 7.5, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2025-9133](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-9133/): Missing authorization in ATP series firmware (high 8.1)
- [CVE-2024-42057](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2024-42057/): Command injection in ATP series firmware (high 8.1)
- [CVE-2024-42058](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2024-42058/): Null dereference in ATP series firmware (high 7.5)
- [CVE-2023-4398](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-4398/): Integer overflow in ATP series firmware (high 7.5)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2023-5960 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2023-5960 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Zyxel USG FLEX series firmware, published on 28 Nov 2023. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2023-5960 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: Zyxel USG FLEX series firmware. 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-2023-5960/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-5960/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2023-5960
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-5960
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2023-5960

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-5960/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.