CVE-2023-22515
Published: October 5, 2023
Official Description
Atlassian Confluence Data Center and Server contains a broken access control vulnerability that allows an attacker to create unauthorized Confluence administrator accounts and access Confluence.
CISA KEV Advisory
Atlassian Confluence Data Center and Server Broken Access Control Vulnerability
Atlassian Confluence Data Center and Server contains a broken access control vulnerability that allows an attacker to create unauthorized Confluence administrator accounts and access Confluence.
Apply mitigations per vendor instructions or discontinue use of the product if mitigations are unavailable. Check all affected Confluence instances for evidence of compromise per vendor instructions and report any positive findings to CISA.
Risk Analysis
This critical vulnerability in Atlassian Confluence Data Center and Server allows an attacker to bypass access controls and create unauthorized administrator accounts. The very high EPSS score of 0.94326 highlights a significant probability of exploitation, making immediate action necessary.
Active exploitation of this vulnerability has been observed in the wild, and it is included in CISA's KEV catalog. This indicates that threat actors are actively leveraging this flaw to gain unauthorized access to Confluence instances.
Apply the latest security patches provided by Atlassian for Confluence Data Center and Server. Review Confluence user accounts for any unauthorized administrator accounts and remove them immediately.
Technical Analysis
CVE-2023-22515 requires local access, meaning attackers must already have a foothold on the target system.
Exploitation requires some privileges, which limits the exposure to scenarios where an attacker has already gained initial access.
CISA has added CVE-2023-22515 to the Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog, confirming active exploitation in the wild. U.S. federal agencies are required to patch this within the mandated timeframe, and all organizations should treat remediation as urgent.
Affected Vendors & Products
Exploit & PoC Resources
All References (2)
Quick Facts
Recommended Actions
- →Apply vendor patches immediately
- →Monitor CVE-2023-22515 in threat intel feeds
- →Review IDS/IPS signatures for exploitation attempts
- !CISA KEV: Federal agencies must patch per BOD 22-01 timeline
- !Active exploitation confirmed — treat as P1