CVE-2023-22518
Confirmed PUBLISHEDAll versions of Confluence Data Center and Server are affected by this unexploited vulnerability. This Improper Authorization vulnerability allows...
Recommended Action
Prioritize remediation. Validate affected assets and apply vendor fixes on an accelerated timeline.
At a Glance
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.
- CVE Published
- Oct 31, 2023
- Exploitation Reported
- Nov 07, 2023
- CVSS
- 9.8 Critical
- EPSS
- 100.0%
Affected Versions
| Vendor | Product | Version | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Atlassian |
Confluence Data Center
|
< 1.0.0 |
Unaffected |
| Atlassian |
Confluence Data Center
|
>= 1.0.0 |
Affected |
| Atlassian |
Confluence Data Center
|
>= 7.19.16 |
Unaffected |
| Atlassian |
Confluence Data Center
|
>= 8.3.4 |
Unaffected |
| Atlassian |
Confluence Data Center
|
>= 8.4.4 |
Unaffected |
| Atlassian |
Confluence Data Center
|
>= 8.5.3 |
Unaffected |
| Atlassian |
Confluence Data Center
|
>= 8.6.1 |
Unaffected |
| Atlassian |
Confluence Server
|
< 1.0.0 |
Unaffected |
| Atlassian |
Confluence Server
|
>= 1.0.0 |
Affected |
| Atlassian |
Confluence Server
|
>= 7.19.16 |
Unaffected |
| Atlassian |
Confluence Server
|
>= 8.3.4 |
Unaffected |
| Atlassian |
Confluence Server
|
>= 8.4.4 |
Unaffected |
| Atlassian |
Confluence Server
|
>= 8.5.3 |
Unaffected |
| Atlassian |
Confluence Server
|
>= 8.6.1 |
Unaffected |
CVE References
- confluence.atlassian.com/pages/viewpage.action confluence.atlassian.com · CVE Record https://confluence.atlassian.com/pages/viewpage.action?pageId=1311473907
- jira.atlassian.com/browse/CONFSERVER-93142 jira.atlassian.com · CVE Record https://jira.atlassian.com/browse/CONFSERVER-93142
- packetstormsecurity.com/files/176264/Atlassian-Confluence-Improper-A... packetstormsecurity.com · CVE Record http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/176264/Atlassian-Confluence-Impr...
Recommended Actions
- Prioritize remediation. Validate affected assets and apply vendor fixes on an accelerated timeline.
- Check enrichment artifacts for scanner coverage and available PoCs before rolling remediation validation.
- Use the Pro API to automate enrichment, telemetry, and workflow delivery for VM, SOC, and CTI pipelines.
Known Exploited Vulnerability Sources
Catalogues that list this CVE as a known exploited vulnerability.
Per-source evidence links for KEV attestations are available through the KEVIntel Pro API.
Learn about Pro API access| Source | Added |
|---|---|
| CISA First | 2023-11-07 00:00 UTC |
| The Shadowserver | 2026-05-30 00:00 UTC |
| Tenable Blog | 2026-06-02 14:20 UTC |
Scanner Artifacts
Nuclei and Metasploit references linked to this CVE.
| Scanner | Reference | Detected |
|---|---|---|
| Nuclei | https://github.com/projectdiscovery/nuclei-templates/blob/main/http/cves/2023/CVE-2023-22518.yaml | Apr 25, 2025 |
| Metasploit | https://github.com/rapid7/metasploit-framework/blob/master/modules/exploits/multi/http/atlassian_confluence_unauth_backup.rb | Apr 28, 2025 |
Virtual Patch
Compensating WAF rules to help reduce exposure to this CVE. Rule content and deployable vendor exports are available with KEVIntel Enterprise.
KEVIntel does not currently have a virtual patch for this CVE. When available, KEVIntel virtual patches ship as deployable ModSecurity, Cloudflare, and AWS WAF rules.
Enterprise feature. Virtual patch rule content and deployable vendor exports (ModSecurity, Cloudflare, AWS WAF) are available to KEVIntel Enterprise users.
CVSS Scores
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H
Exploitation Status
Exploited in the wild
Recorded 2023-11-07 00:00:00 UTC · CISA
Used in malware
Recorded 2023-11-07 00:00:00 UTC · CISA
Proof of concept available
Recorded 2023-10-31 05:35:00 UTC · GitHub
Weaknesses (CWE)
-
Incorrect Authorization
Scanner Integrations
| Scanner | Reference | Detected |
|---|---|---|
| Metasploit | https://github.com/rapid7/metasploit-framework/blob/master/modules/exploits/multi/http/atlassian_confluence_unauth_backup.rb | Apr 28, 2025 |
| Nuclei | https://github.com/projectdiscovery/nuclei-templates/blob/main/http/cves/2023/CVE-2023-22518.yaml | Apr 25, 2025 |
Recent Mentions
Tenable Blog · May 27, 2026
Tenable Research has developed a graph-based model linking 600+ threat groups to real-world customer exposures. It reveals which vulnerabilities sit at the intersection of severity, active exploitation, and organizational risk.Key takeawaysThe "patch everything" strategy is dead: Vulnerability prioritization based on exploitation risk offers a path forward. A directed graph model linking 600+ threat actors to vulnerabilities in 7,800 customer environments reveals that 68% of organizations carry at least one CVE previously exploited by a named adversary, and 321 tracked threat groups can reach at least one customer environment through an active vulnerability. Prevalence of "Elite Arsenal" CVEs requires immediate attention: The 242 "Elite Arsenal" CVEs — those meeting all three criteria of critical VPR (≥ 9), CISA KEV listing, and documented threat group exploitation — are nearly universally present across the studied customer base, with 241 of 242 actively detected. More than half are five or more years old, and 78% of the persistently exploited core are simultaneously weaponized by nation-state APTs, commodity malware operators, and ransomware gangs. Non-CVE exposures are universally dangerous: Non-CVE exposures, including misconfigurations, weak credentials, and end-of-life software, are present in virtually 100% of studied organizations, with 60% carrying at least one that maps to a tracked threat actor's preferred techniques. Preliminary modeling suggests these exposures may confer more breach risk than CVE-linked findings, yet no industry-standard scoring infrastructure exists to prioritize them.While the first two posts in this blog series documented the accelerating vulnerability flood and the widening remediation gap, today we answer the outstanding question: Where do these forces actually collide inside customer environments? Using a directed graph model that maps more than 600 tracked threat groups to vulnerabilities observed across 7,800 organizations,...
Potential Proof of Concepts
These PoCs are unverified and could contain malware. Use at your own risk.
github · Created 2024-01-23 13:38:40 UTC · 1 stars
Lỗ hổng ủy quyền không phù hợp trong Trung tâm dữ liệu Confluence và Máy chủ + bugsBonus 🔥
github · Created 2023-11-05 06:45:33 UTC · 43 stars
An Exploitation tool to exploit the confluence server that are vulnerable to CVE-2023-22518 Improper Authorization
github · Created 2023-11-02 22:52:15 UTC · 8 stars
Checker for CVE-2023-22518 vulnerability on Confluence
github · Created 2023-10-31 05:35:00 UTC · 56 stars
Improper Authorization Vulnerability in Confluence Data Center and Server
nuclei · Created Unknown
metasploit · Created Unknown
Metasploit module for CVE-2023-22518
Timeline
Key exploitation, disclosure, scanner coverage, and KEV attestation events for this CVE.
-
14:20 UTC about 2 months ago14:20 UTC · about 2 months ago
KEV confirmed by Tenable Blog
Exploitation attested by an external source
-
00:00 UTC about 2 months ago00:00 UTC · about 2 months ago
KEV confirmed by The Shadowserver
Exploitation attested by an external source
-
15:02 UTC about 1 year ago15:02 UTC · about 1 year ago
Metasploit module available
Exploit module available
-
00:00 UTC about 1 year ago00:00 UTC · about 1 year ago
Nuclei template available
Scanner coverage available
-
00:00 UTC over 2 years ago00:00 UTC · over 2 years ago
Added to CISA KEV
Listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog
-
00:00 UTC over 2 years ago00:00 UTC · over 2 years ago
First public exploitation report
Exploit observed in malware
-
14:30 UTC over 2 years ago14:30 UTC · over 2 years ago
CVE published
Vulnerability disclosed publicly
-
05:35 UTC over 2 years ago05:35 UTC · over 2 years ago
Public PoC available
Public proof-of-concept code published
-
00:01 UTC over 3 years ago00:01 UTC · over 3 years ago
CVE ID reserved
Identifier reserved by the CNA
Automate This Intelligence with the Pro API
Confidence scoring, exploit status, sensor telemetry, PoCs, scanner integrations, mentions, and tags are available programmatically for VM, SOC, and CTI workflows.
Pro API Example
GET /api/v2/pro/kevs/CVE-2023-22518
{
"cve_id": "CVE-2023-22518",
"title": "All versions of Confluence Data Center and Server are affected by this unexpl...",
"affected_vendor": "Atlassian",
"affected_product": "Confluence Data Center, Confluence Server",
"affected_versions": [
{ "vendor": "...", "product": "...", "status": "affected", "display_label": "..." }
],
"confidence": "Confirmed",
"cvss_score": 9.8,
"epss_score": 0.99999,
"exploit_status": {
"exploited_in_the_wild": true,
"active_exploitation_observed": false
},
"sensor_telemetry": { "...": "Pro API fields" },
"proof_of_concepts": [ "..." ],
"scanner_integrations": [ "..." ]
}