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Full vulnerability report · 2023
CVE-2023-22518High confidence

Atlassian Confluence Data Center and Server Improper Authorization Vulnerability

Atlassian · Confluence Data Center and Server

9.8CriticalCVSS 3.1
Recommended action
Patch now

CISA confirms exploitation in the wild and lists 2023-11-28 as the remediation due date.

Patch available
R
Operational reassessment

Published severity in operational context

Open reassessment dashboard →
Published severityCriticalOperational priority:Critical, unchanged from published severity.unchanged

Evidence used

  • CISA confirms exploitation in the wild.
  • A structured source references public exploit or proof-of-concept material.
  • The selected CVSS metric records a network-reachable, unauthenticated path with no user interaction.
  • EPSS is 100.00% for the current model date.

Compensating controls

  • Validate the affected product branch and deploy the verified fixed release.
  • 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

  1. Confirm that the asset runs Atlassian Confluence Data Center and Server and falls inside the recorded affected range.
  2. Verify the installed build against the product-specific fixed version after deployment.
  3. Validate exposure, authentication requirements and compensating controls in the actual environment.
  4. Reopen this reassessment when CVSS, KEV, EPSS, exploit evidence or remediation changes.
Mitigation target: Within 3 daysRemediation target: Within 90 days

This automated reassessment organises public evidence. It does not know asset exposure, business impact or control effectiveness and does not replace CVSS or a human risk decision.

Optional official sources

National CERT insights
?CERT means Computer Emergency Response Team; CSIRT is the closely related term Computer Security Incident Response Team.

Choose official national sources for this report. Each advisory shows its original language. Your selection is remembered on this device and included in shared links.

Official European source

ENISA European Vulnerability Database

Official EUVD identifiers, advisory evidence and known-exploited context. Missing fields are not treated as evidence of low risk.

1 current
ENISA EUVD identifier

EUVD-2023-26658

CISA KEV mirrored by ENISA

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.

EUVD state
Present in the current official mapping
Known exploitation
Recorded by ENISA since 7 Nov 2023. Evidence sources: cisa_kev.
ENISA score
10.0 · CVSS 3.0
Advisory evidence
2 linked advisory records
Recommended actionPatch now

CISA confirms exploitation in the wild and lists 2023-11-28 as the remediation due date.

Patch available
01

What, why and how

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.

What

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.

Why

The application performs an authorisation check, but it does not correctly enforce the required permission boundary.

How

An attacker operating through a network path may attempt exploitation without authentication or user interaction. If successful, the issue may cause the confidentiality, integrity or availability impact described by the vendor.

What

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.

Why

The application performs an authorisation check, but it does not correctly enforce the required permission boundary.

How

An attacker operating through a network path may attempt exploitation without authentication or user interaction. 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
?Confirmed exploitation and public exploit material are separate signals. Attacks can occur without public proof-of-concept or exploit code.
Confirmed in the wild

CISA added this CVE to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalogue on 2023-11-07. Known ransomware campaign use is recorded.

Public PoC / exploit material
?Confirmed exploitation and public exploit material are separate signals. Attacks can occur without public proof-of-concept or exploit code.
Reference recorded

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 → Incorrect Authorization → cause the confidentiality, integrity or availability impact described by the vendor
Attack surface
Network
Privileges required
None: unauthenticated exploitation is possible
User interaction
None
Attack complexity
Low: no specialised conditions are recorded
Security boundary
Unchanged: impact remains within the vulnerable component's security authority
Weakness
?CWE means Common Weakness Enumeration: a standard category for the underlying weakness.
CWE-863 ↗

CWE-863: Incorrect Authorization. The product performs an authorization check when an actor attempts to access a resource or perform an action, but it does not correctly perform the check.

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:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Common 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.PRNonePrivileges required: The attacker does not need an account or existing privileges.UINoneUser interaction: No action by another user is required.SUnchangedScope: The security impact remains within the vulnerable component's authority.CHighConfidentiality impact: A successful attack can cause a major loss.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.
NetworkUnauthenticatedCWE-863CISA KEVPublic exploit reference
A

Official authority intelligence

Only matched European and national findings are included. Language selectors and unavailable sources are omitted.

ENISA EUVD · EUVD-2023-26658Known-exploited evidence recorded

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.

Official EUVD record ↗
BSI · German · WID-SEC-2023-2775Atlassian Confluence: Schwachstelle ermöglicht Erlangen von Administratorrechten

Ein entfernter, anonymer Angreifer kann eine Schwachstelle in Atlassian Confluence ausnutzen, um Administratorrechte zu erlangen.

Official advisory ↗
BSI · German · WID-SEC-2026-2923Atlassian Produkte (Bamboo, Bitbucket, Confluence, Crucible, Fisheye, und Jira): Mehrere Schwachstellen

Ein Angreifer kann mehrere Schwachstellen in Atlassian Bamboo, Atlassian Bitbucket, Atlassian Confluence, Atlassian Crucible, Atlassian Fisheye und Atlassian Jira ausnutzen, um beliebigen Programmcode auszuführen, um einen Denial of Service Angriff durchzuführen, um Informationen offenzulegen, um Dateien zu manipulieren, um einen Cross-Site Scripting Angriff durchzuführen, um einen SQL-Injection Angriff durchzuführen, und um Sicherheitsvorkehrungen zu umgehen.

Official advisory ↗
BSI · German · WID-SEC-2026-1608Atlassian Produkte (Bamboo, Bitbucket, Confluence, Crucible, Fisheye und Jira): Mehrere Schwachstellen

Ein Angreifer kann mehrere Schwachstellen in Atlassian Bamboo, Atlassian Bitbucket, Atlassian Confluence, Atlassian Crucible, Atlassian Fisheye und Atlassian Jira ausnutzen, um beliebigen Programmcode auszuführen, um einen Denial of Service Angriff durchzuführen, um Informationen offenzulegen, um einen Cross-Site Scripting Angriff durchzuführen, und um Sicherheitsvorkehrungen zu umgehen.

Official advisory ↗
Cyber Security Agency of Singapore · English · CSA-SB-20231101Security Bulletin 01 Nov 2023

The Cyber Security Agency of Singapore included this CVE in its official Security Bulletin 01 Nov 2023, published on 1 November 2023. Open the linked bulletin for the product, severity and reference information published in that issue.

Official advisory ↗
CERT-FR · French · CERTFR-2023-AVI-0899Vulnérabilité dans Atlassian Confluence Data Center et Server

Une vulnérabilité a été découverte dans Atlassian Confluence Data Center et Server. Elle permet à un attaquant de provoquer une atteinte à l'intégrité des données.

Official advisory ↗
JVN iPedia · Japanese · JVNDB-2023-015883Atlassian の Confluence Data Center および Confluence Server における不正な認証に関する脆弱性

Atlassian の Confluence Data Center および Confluence Server には、不正な認証に関する脆弱性が存在します。

Official advisory ↗
KISA KrCERT/CC · Korean · KNVD-6035Atlassian 제품 보안 패치 권고

Confluence Data Center 및 Server에서 발생하는 부적절한 인가 취약점 (CVE-2023-22518) [2]

Official advisory ↗
KISA KrCERT/CC · Korean · KNVD-6029美 CISA 발표 주요 Exploit 정보공유(Update. 2023-11-07)

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.

Official advisory ↗
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.
Patch available
Affected
Fixed
Action
Review the linked authoritative reference and apply the recorded fixed release appropriate to the affected product branch.
Workaround
A mitigation or workaround reference is available from the source linked below; validate it against the affected product and version.
Official vendor articles1 stored document

Linked articles are downloaded and versioned as source evidence. A CVE mention or approved update relationship does not, by itself, verify a fix for every product branch.

04

Evidence and provenance

Published 31 Oct 2023 · Last source change 21 Oct 2025, 23:05 UTC · CWE-863 · Incorrect Authorization

CVE recordCVE.org · 5.1
CVSS sourceNIST NVD
EPSS source
?The date BlackTree first stored a score for this CVE from the daily FIRST EPSS feed.
FIRST · tracked since 2026-08-14
European sourceENISA EUVD · EUVD-2023-26658
Product sourceCISA KEV
Remediation sourceCVE/CNA references
CWE sourceCISA ADP
NVD statusNVD enriched

Core structured fields are present and their contributing authorities are shown above.

Material change intelligence

What changed after publication

View recent updates ↗
  1. Affected versionsThe structured affected or fixed version information changed.
    Before
    >= 1.0.0 · Fixed: < 1.0.0; >= 7.19.16; >= 8.3.4; >= 8.4.4; >= 8.5.3; >= 8.6.1
    After
    Confluence Data Center: >= 1.0.0; Confluence Server: >= 1.0.0 · Fixed: Confluence Data Center: < 1.0.0, >= 7.19.16, >= 8.3.4, >= 8.4.4, >= 8.5.3, >= 8.6.1; Confluence Server: < 1.0.0, >= 7.19.16, >= 8.3.4, >= 8.4.4, >= 8.5.3, >= 8.6.1
    CNA ↗
Material fields only · duplicate refreshes suppressed · history retained for the configured operational retention period
CVE published
Added to CISA KEV
Fixed release or patch reference recorded
ENISA EUVD · EUVD-2023-26658↗CISA KEV record↗CVE authority or vendor reference↗Mitigation reference↗Public exploit reference↗Official CVE record (CNA and ADP data)↗NVD record↗
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.
Free version - for non-commercial use only.CVE-2023-22518 · cve.blacktree.nl