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NVD / CVE Program· CNA apache

CVE-2023-45725: Apache CouchDB, IBM Cloudant: Privilege Escalation Using _design Documents

MediumCVSS 5.7 · v3.1—No exploit Fix available

Noroxi assessment

Priority: Monitor (action score 22/100)

  • The sources we track (CISA KEV, Exploit-DB, Metasploit, Nuclei, GitHub) show no public exploit code or exploitation in the wild.
  • Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days: 1.2% (FIRST EPSS); higher than 69.3% of all records.
  • Anyone who can reach it over the internet can trigger it. A low-privileged account is enough. A user must open a link or visit a page. No special conditions are required; it is repeatable.
  • Fixed version: Apache Software Foundation IBM Cloudant 8413.

Low priority for now. Upgrade to Apache Software Foundation IBM Cloudant 8413 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

Design document functions which receive a user http request object may expose authorization or session cookie headers of the user who accesses the document. These design document functions are: *   list *   show *   rewrite *   update An attacker can leak the session component using an HTML-like output, insert the session as an external resource (such as an image), or store the credential in a _local document with an "update" function. For the attack to succeed the attacker has to be able to insert the design documents into the database, then manipulate a user to access a function from that design document. Workaround: Avoid using design documents from untrusted sources which may attempt to access or manipulate request object's headers

Published
Dec 13, 2023
Updated
Jun 17, 2026
EPSS
1.2% · 69th percentile

Report tools

JSON

Action score

22

Monitor

Low priority for now.

CVSS
22 / 40 · 5.7 / 10
CISA KEV
0 / 30 · Not listed
EPSS
0 / 30 · 1.2%

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  • Not in KEV: no record of exploitation in the wild
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Noroxi analysis

What does it mean in your environment?

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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
apachecouchdb

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 CouchDB

    • up to and including 3.3.2affected · semver

  • Apache Software Foundation IBM Cloudant

    • before 8413affected · semver

Affected versions

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

  • apache couchdbup to 3.3.2 inclusive

Same product

apache: all records

Other highest-scoring records for the same primary product.

  • CVE-2022-24706Remote Code Execution Vulnerability in PackagingKEV
    97Now
  • CVE-2017-12635Due to differences in the Erlang-based JSON parser and JavaScript-based JSON parser, it is possible in Apache CouchDB before 1.7.0 and 2.x…
    69This week
  • CVE-2017-12636CouchDB administrative users can configure the database server via HTTP(S).
    55Plan

Published before and after this one in the same product

  • ← EarlierCVE-2020-1955May 20, 2020 · CouchDB version 3.0.0 shipped with a new configuration setting that governs access control to the entire database server called…
    40Plan
  • ← EarlierCVE-2021-38295Oct 14, 2021 · Privilege escalation vulnerability when using HTML attachments
    30Monitor
  • ← EarlierCVE-2023-26268May 2, 2023 · Apache CouchDB, IBM Cloudant: Information sharing via couchjs processes
    21Monitor

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 IBM Cloudant8413Vendor (CNA)

Exploit status

No known public exploit

No public exploit has been observed yet. That doesn't mean you're safe, only that the bar is a little higher.

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.

No dated events beyond publication.

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.

  • CVE-2023-26268225 days apartApache CouchDB, IBM Cloudant: Information sharing via couchjs processes
    21Monitor

Not on record for this CVE: EPSS history · patch commit or PR link · public bounty program.

Technical details

Attack conditions

  • Anyone who can reach it over the internet can trigger it.
  • A low-privileged account is enough.
  • A user must open a link or visit a page.
  • No special conditions are required; it is repeatable.

If successful

Confidentiality
high · data can be read
Integrity
none
Availability
none
Attack vector
Network
Attack complexity
Low
Privileges required
Low
User interaction
Required
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality impact
High
Integrity impact
None
Availability impact
None

Weakness class (CWE)

CWE-200 · Exposure of Sensitive Information to an Unauthorized Actor

CVSS vector

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

nvd-primary

Root cause

The extension requests broader permissions than its function needs and sends the data it collects out for purposes beyond its stated function.

The bug in code

The whole CWE-200 class

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

Vulnerable

json
{  "permissions": ["tabs", "<all_urls>"],  "background": { "service_worker": "analytics.js" }}

Fixed

json
{  "permissions": ["activeTab"],  "host_permissions": ["https://yildiz.example/*"]}

Attack context

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

References

Show all references (1 more)

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

All records