Skip to content
Noroxi
NVD / CVE Program· CNA apache

CVE-2023-37941: Apache Superset: Metadata db write access can lead to remote code execution

Noroxi assessment

Priority: Plan (action score 40/100)

  • A ready-made attack module is public (Metasploit); exploiting it takes no special expertise.
  • Because a ready-made attack tool exists, priority is at least “Plan”.
  • Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days: 35.4% (FIRST EPSS); higher than 98.4% of all records.
  • Anyone who can reach it over the internet can trigger it. Administrator privileges are required. No user action is required. Special conditions such as timing or configuration are required.
  • Fixed version: Apache Software Foundation Apache Superset 2.1.1.
  • Mentioned 1 time in Turkish national cyber security advisories (siberguvenlik.gov.tr).

Add it to your regular patch cycle. Upgrade to Apache Software Foundation Apache Superset 2.1.1 or later.

Generated automatically from the record's data: CVSS (NVD and CNA), CISA KEV and SSVC, FIRST EPSS, exploit sources, fixed versions. How we calculate it

Primary sources: NVD · CVE.org · FIRST EPSS

If an attacker gains write access to the Apache Superset metadata database, they could persist a specifically crafted Python object that may lead to remote code execution on Superset's web backend. The Superset metadata db is an 'internal' component that is typically only accessible directly by the system administrator and the superset process itself. Gaining access to that database should be difficult and require significant privileges. This vulnerability impacts Apache Superset versions 1.5.0 up to and including 2.1.0. Users are recommended to upgrade to version 2.1.1 or later.

MediumCVSS 6.6 · v3.1—Weaponized Fix available
Published
Sep 6, 2023
Updated
Jun 17, 2026
EPSS
35.4% · 98th percentile

Report tools

JSON

Action score

40

Plan

Add it to your regular patch cycle.

CVSS
26 / 40 · 6.6 / 10
CISA KEV
0 / 30 · Not listed
EPSS
11 / 30 · 35.4%
Ready-made attack tool
3 / 40 · floor: at least 40

CISA SSVC decision

Exploitation
none
Automatable
no
Technical impact
total

Vulnrichment: CISA's decision-tree inputs.

CNA vs NVD score

NVD
6.6
CNA · apache
6.6
agree

The score given by the assigning authority versus NVD’s independent score. A gap means the severity is contested.

Get told when this record changes

  • Not in KEV: no record of exploitation in the wild
  • Weaponized exploit exists
  • A fix has been released

If any of these changes, we'll tell you in the daily email digest.

Follow CVE-2023-37941

When you'll hear from us

  • when it enters CISA KEV
  • when exploit code appears or is weaponized
  • when the record is updated (including a fixed version)
  • when EPSS rises 20 points in a week

One daily email digest (06:00 UTC); connect a webhook for KEV listings and weaponized exploits instantly.

Your free account also gets you

Running WordPress? Scan your site free with WP Lens

  • Stack alerts: add the products and versions you run, get the new CVEs that affect them
  • Uptime monitoring: 1 site, instant email when it goes down
  • Add your domain: subdomains and takeover risk scanned every week (1 domain)
  • 10 scans an hour on the security tools (3 a day without an account), an API key and MCP
  • All your scans in one panel: findings, what changed in the last scan, a report per domain or per client (PDF, share link)
All free tools

Sign up with email · Have an account? Sign in

Free account, no card. Unfollow any time.

Don't want an account? Get "Exploited this week" by email every MondayDon't want an account? RSS feed for apache records

Running WordPress? Scan your site free with WP Lens

Is your version affected? Check it

Noroxi analysis

What does it mean in your environment?

The assessment above is generated automatically from the record's data; it doesn't know your environment. Our team verifies on your systems whether this vulnerability is actually exploitable and which mitigation is enough.

We use this product, ask for help

Affected systems

Is your version affected?

Pick the product and type the version you run. It's compared with this record's version ranges in your browser; the version isn't sent anywhere.

VendorProduct
apachesuperset

Affected versions

NVD version ranges (for catalog products). Add the product to your stack with a version and matching uses these.

  • apache superset1.5.0 and later · up to 2.1.0 inclusive

Versions reported by the vendor

Affected version ranges reported by the assigning authority (apache). Independent of NVD's CPE analysis and usually ahead of it.

  • Apache Software Foundation Apache Superset

    • 1.5.0 and later · up to and including 2.1.0affected · semver

Package-level exposure

OSV and GitHub Advisory data: ecosystem, package and range. SBOM matching uses this table.

EcosystemPackageAffected rangeFix
PyPIapache-supersetfrom 1.5.0 · before 2.1.12.1.1

Same product

apache: all records

Other highest-scoring records for the same primary product.

  • CVE-2023-27524Apache Superset: Session validation vulnerability when using provided default SECRET_KEYKEV
    98Now
  • CVE-2023-39265Apache Superset: Possible Unauthorized Registration of SQLite Database Connections
    60This week
  • CVE-2018-8021Versions of Superset prior to 0.23 used an unsafe load method from the pickle library to deserialize data leading to possible remote code ex
    55Plan

Published before and after this one in the same product

  • ← EarlierCVE-2023-39264Sep 6, 2023 · Apache Superset: Stack traces enabled by default
    17Monitor
  • ← EarlierCVE-2023-32672Sep 6, 2023 · Apache Superset: SQL parser edge case bypasses data access authorization
    17Monitor
  • Later →CVE-2023-40610Nov 27, 2023 · Apache Superset: Privilege escalation with default examples database
    35Monitor

Remediation

Which version to upgrade to

Fix versions compiled from the vendor, package registries and Microsoft. Verify the vendor's note before upgrading.

Product / packageFixed versionSource
Apache Software Foundation Apache Superset2.1.1 · descriptionVendor (CNA)
PyPI:apache-superset2.1.1Package registry (OSV)

Exploit status

Weaponized

A ready exploit tool or active in-the-wild use is known for this vulnerability. This should be your top priority.

Evidence

  • Metasploit module ×1
  • Proof-of-concept repository on GitHub ×1

Noroxi does not host or link to exploit code. Metasploit module names and Nuclei template ids are shown (names, not code); Exploit-DB entries and PoC repositories are given as counts only.

Public exploit evidence
SourceKindDate
Metasploit moduleexploit/linux/http/apache_superset_cookie_sig_rceApache Superset Signed Cookie RCEexploit2023-09-06
Proof-of-concept repository on GitHubstars:12023-05-08

Research context

For pentesters and researchers: attack profile, score disagreement, timeline, patch commits, credits, variant and chain candidates, bug bounty scope. All derived from existing data; no exploit code.

Timeline

From publication to today: proof of concept, Metasploit module, CISA KEV and fix record. Dates are as reported by the sources.

  1. First PoC-121 d
  2. Metasploitsame day
  3. Published
  4. TodayNov 9, 2026+1160 d
EPSS, last 120 days

FIRST EPSS daily score; only changes of 0.01 or more are recorded (step chart).

Patch and commit links

Commit, PR and diff links among the references. A starting point for patch-diffing and variant hunting; fixes, not exploits.

No commit or PR link among the references.

Credits

All researchers

Finders, reporters and analysts named in the CNA record. Click a name for that researcher’s other records.

Variant candidates

Same product, same weakness class, within 18 months. If the patch missed the root cause, the sibling bug is here.

No nightly-computed relations.

Chain candidates

An authentication bypass and a privilege-requiring bug in the same product, published close together: combined they may become an unauthenticated path.

—

Bug bounty scope

No known public program.

Source: bounty-targets-data (public HackerOne, Bugcrowd, Intigriti, YesWeHack listings).

National notice (Türkiye Cybersecurity Directorate / USOM)

Official security notices citing this record; remediation advice is on the agency's page.

All national notices →

Technical details

Attack conditions

  • Anyone who can reach it over the internet can trigger it.
  • Administrator privileges are required.
  • No user action is required.
  • Special conditions such as timing or configuration are required.

If successful

Confidentiality
high · data can be read
Integrity
high · data or configuration can be modified
Availability
high · the service can be disrupted
Attack vector
Network
Attack complexity
High
Privileges required
High
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality impact
High
Integrity impact
High
Availability impact
High

Weakness class (CWE)

CWE-502 · Deserialization of Untrusted Data

CVSS vector

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

nvd-primary

Root cause

Data received over the network is deserialized into the language’s native object format without verifying its source. Code paths inside the object can be triggered during deserialization.

The bug in code

The whole CWE-502 class

A representative example of this vulnerability class. Not the vendor's source code; it shows the faulty pattern and its fix.

Vulnerable

python
payload = sock.recv(65536)job = pickle.loads(payload)

Fixed

python
payload = sock.recv(65536)if not hmac.compare_digest(sign(payload), header_sig):    raise PermissionError("invalid signature")job = JobSchema.validate(json.loads(payload))

Attack context

MITRE CAPEC attack patterns and ATT&CK techniques for this weakness class (CWE). A starting point for detection rules and threat hunting.

ATT&CK techniques

—

Change log

  1. Fix✗ → ✓

For records you follow, these changes also arrive as notifications. →

References

Show all references (1 more)

Vendor advisories and official records. Exploit/PoC links are deliberately left out.

All records