CVE-2023-22518
Atlassian Confluence Data Center and Server contain an improper authorization vulnerability that can result in significant data loss when exploited by an unauthenticated attacker. There is no impact on confidentiality since the attacker cannot exfiltrate any data.
All versions of Confluence Data Center and Server are affected by this unexploited vulnerability. This Improper Authorization vulnerability allows an unauthenticated attacker to reset Confluence and create a Confluence instance administrator account. Using this account, an attacker can then perform all administrative actions that are available to Confluence instance administrator leading to - but not limited to - full loss of confidentiality, integrity and availability. Atlassian Cloud sites are not affected by this vulnerability. If your Confluence site is accessed via an atlassian.net domain, it is hosted by Atlassian and is not vulnerable to this issue.
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H- packetstormsecurity.com/files/176264/Atlassian-Confluence-Improper-Authorization-Code-Execution.htmlExploitThird Party Advisory
- confluence.atlassian.com/pages/viewpage.action?pageId=1311473907Issue TrackingMitigation
- jira.atlassian.com/browse/CONFSERVER-93142Issue TrackingMitigation
- cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog?field_cve=CVE-2023-22518US Government Resource
Actively exploited and used by ransomware crews. Patch immediately.
- Exploitation
- Confirmed in the wild (CISA KEV)
- Federal remediation deadline
- Overdue by 1063 days
- Ransomware
- Used in known ransomware campaigns
- CVSS
- 9.8 CRITICAL
- EPSS (30-day exploit probability)
- 100.0% · top 1% of all CVEs
- Weakness
- CWE-863
- Attack vector
- Network, remotely reachable
- Preconditions
- No privileges and no user interaction
- 1.Apply mitigations per vendor instructions or discontinue use of the product if mitigations are unavailable.
- 2.Treat as emergency change: patch or isolate internet-facing instances first.
- 3.Review exposure: confirm which instances are reachable from the internet and restrict access until patched.
- 4.Hunt for compromise: review logs for the disclosure window, not just from the patch date.
- 5.Verify offline/immutable backups and segment the affected systems. This flaw is used for ransomware initial access.
Assessment is derived automatically from the live signals above; verify against your own asset inventory.