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Public Security Vulnerability
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Resolution: Fixed
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Highest
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1.0.0
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None
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10
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Critical
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CVE-2023-22518
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CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H
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Improper Authorization
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Confluence Data Center, Confluence Server
Summary of Vulnerability
Nov 6 Update:
As part of Atlassian's ongoing monitoring and investigation of this CVE, we observed several active exploits and reports of threat actors using ransomware. We have escalated CVE-2023-22518 from CVSS 9.1 to 10, the highest critical rating, due to the change in the scope of the attack. Please review the Threat Detection section on this page for additional details.
Nov 3 Update:
We received a customer report of an active exploit. Customers must take immediate action to protect their instances. If you already applied the patch, no further action is required.
Nov 2 Update:
As part of Atlassian's ongoing monitoring of this CVE, we observed publicly posted critical information about the vulnerability which increases risk of exploitation. There are still no reports of an active exploit, though customers must take immediate action to protect their instances. If you already applied the patch, no further action is required.
Oct 31 Original:
An Important Message from Bala Sathiamurthy, Chief Information Security Officer (CISO)
As part of our continuous security assessment processes, we have discovered that Confluence Data Center and Server customers are vulnerable to significant data loss if exploited by an unauthenticated attacker. There are no reports of active exploitation at this time; however, customers must take immediate action to protect their instances. Please read the Critical Security Advisory below for instructions and vulnerability details.
Protecting customers' instances is our top priority, and our prompt response demonstrates our dedication to ensuring the safety of our customers and your data. Atlassian is always reviewing security measures to reduce security risks and support our customers in taking timely action. Customers can expect to receive high-priority patches outside of our monthly advisory schedule as necessary. We believe that taking proactive action is the best approach and we appreciate your ongoing partnership.
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.
Publicly accessible Confluence Data Center and Server versions as listed below are at critical risk and require immediate attention. See ‘What You Need to Do’ for detailed instructions.
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.
This critical severity Improper Authorization vulnerability known as CVE-2023-22518 affects all versions prior to the listed fix versions of Confluence Data Center and Server. Versions outside of the support window (i.e. versions that have reached End of Life) may also be affected, so Atlassian recommends you upgrade to a fixed LTS version or later.
Affected Versions
| Product | Affected Versions |
|---|---|
| Confluence Data Center Confluence Server |
All versions are affected |
Fixed Versions
| Product | Fixed Versions |
|---|---|
| Confluence Data Center Confluence Server |
|
What You Need to Do
Atlassian recommends that you upgrade your instance to one of the versions listed in the “Fixed Versions” table section of this ticket. For full descriptions of the above versions of Confluence Data Center and Server, see the release notes. You can download the latest version of Confluence Data Center and Server from the download center.
Apply temporary mitigations if unable to patch
- Back up your instance. (Instructions: https://confluence.atlassian.com/doc/production-backup-strategy-38797389.html)
- Remove your instance from the internet until you can patch, if possible. Instances accessible to the public internet, including those with user authentication, should be restricted from external network access until you can patch.
- If you cannot restrict external network access or patch, apply the following interim measures to mitigate known attack vectors by blocking access on the following endpoints on Confluence instances:
- /json/setup-restore.action
- /json/setup-restore-local.action
- /json/setup-restore-progress.action
- 1. This is possible at the network layer or by making the following changes to Confluence configuration files.
On each node, modify /<confluence-install-dir>/confluence/WEB-INF/web.xml and add the following block of code (just before the </web-app> tag at the end of the file):
| <security-constraint> <web-resource-collection> <url-pattern>/json/setup-restore.action</url-pattern> <url-pattern>/json/setup-restore-local.action</url-pattern> <url-pattern>/json/setup-restore-progress.action</url-pattern> <http-method-omission>*</http-method-omission> </web-resource-collection> <auth-constraint /> </security-constraint> |
- 2. Restart Confluence.
Note: These mitigation actions are limited and not a replacement for patching your instance; you must patch as soon as possible
For additional details, please refer to the full advisory: https://confluence.atlassian.com/display/SECURITY/CVE-2023-22518+-+Improper+Authorization+Vulnerability+in+Confluence+Data+Center+and+Server