VulnerabilityPublished 19 Apr 2023Updated 7 Nov 2025

CVE-2023-22894: Strapi · Cleartext Storage of Sensitive Information

Affects StrapiSource CVE Database V5

Exploited in the wild · KEV due 11 Oct 2026 · 4% EPSS : apply the vendor's fix or mitigations to Strapi now.

Data as of 26 Oct 2026, 17:16 UTC

CVSS 3.1 base score

9.8Critical

How severe the flaw is on the 0–10 CVSS scale.

KEV deadline: 11 Oct 2026 US federal agencies must patch by this date; a sensible deadline for everyone else. Other KEV due dates
EPSS: 4.1% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 90% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.

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

Attack Vector: Network
Attack Complexity: Low
Privileges Required: None
User Interaction: None
Scope: Unchanged
Confidentiality: High
Integrity: High
Availability: High

Bold values are the worst case: easiest to exploit or largest impact.

Attack Vector: Network: The vulnerable component is bound to the network stack and the set of possible attackers extends beyond the other options listed, up to and including the entire Internet. Such a vulnerability is often termed 'remotely exploitable' and can be thought of as an attack being exploitable at the protocol level one or more network hops away (e.g., across one or more routers).
Attack Complexity: Low: Specialized access conditions or extenuating circumstances do not exist. An attacker can expect repeatable success against the vulnerable component.
Privileges Required: None: The attacker is unauthorized prior to attack, and therefore does not require any access to settings or files to carry out an attack.
User Interaction: None: The vulnerable system can be exploited without any interaction from any user.
Scope: Unchanged: An exploited vulnerability can only affect resources managed by the same security authority. In this case, the vulnerable component and the impacted component are either the same, or both are managed by the same security authority.
Confidentiality: High: There is total loss of confidentiality, resulting in all resources within the impacted component being divulged to the attacker. Alternatively, access to only some restricted information is obtained, but the disclosed information presents a direct, serious impact.
Integrity: High: There is a total loss of integrity, or a complete loss of protection. For example, the attacker is able to modify any/all files protected by the impacted component. Alternatively, only some files can be modified, but malicious modification would present a direct, serious consequence to the impacted component.
Availability: High: There is total loss of availability, resulting in the attacker being able to fully deny access to resources in the impacted component; this loss is either sustained (while the attacker continues to deliver the attack) or persistent (the condition persists even after the attack has completed). Alternatively, the attacker has the ability to deny some availability, but the loss of availability presents a direct, serious consequence to the impacted component (e.g., the attacker cannot disrupt existing connections, but can prevent new connections; the attacker can repeatedly exploit a vulnerability that, in each instance of a successful attack, leaks a only small amount of memory, but after repeated exploitation causes a service to become completely unavailable).

Definitions: FIRST CVSS v3.1 specification.

Exploitation evidence

t = 0 is the CVE’s publication on cve.org

Disclosed: evidence found.
CVE published 19 Apr 2023
Detectable: no evidence on record.
No public nuclei template indexed
Weaponised: no evidence on record.
No public exploit code indexed in Metasploit or Exploit-DB
Exploited in the wildExploited: evidence found.
Listed in CISA KEV 3.5 years after disclosure
Observed by OffSeq MirageSeen by Mirage: no evidence on record.
No attack traffic recorded by OffSeq Mirage sensors

CVE ID reserved
by MITRE Corporation
10 Jan 2023, 99 days before disclosure
CVE published
on cve.org
19 Apr 2023, t = 0
Added to CISA KEV (opens in a new tab)
exploitation confirmed
8 Oct 2026, 3.5 years after disclosure
KEV remediation due
US federal deadline
11 Oct 2026, 3.5 years after disclosure

A missing step is not evidence of safety. Sources: cve.org (opens in a new tab), CISA KEV (opens in a new tab), the Metasploit, Exploit-DB and nuclei-templates index as of 26 Oct 2026.

Disclosed: The CVE record is public on cve.org. Its publication is t = 0.
Detectable: A public nuclei template can find exposed instances, for defenders and attackers alike.
Weaponised: Public exploit code exists in Metasploit or Exploit-DB, or CISA SSVC or the CVSS exploit maturity reports a public proof of concept.
Exploited in the wild: CISA KEV lists it, CISA SSVC rates exploitation active, or a source reports attacks.
Observed by OffSeq Mirage: OffSeq Mirage honeypot sensors recorded attack traffic for this CVE, or found exposed hosts without attack traffic.

Moments are spaced evenly, not to scale; a dashed line marks a gap of six months or more. Deltas count from t = 0. Sources that give only a date (CISA KEV, Exploit-DB, or a time of exactly 00:00Z) read “same day” rather than hours. Metasploit modules carry the flaw’s disclosure date, not their release date, and nuclei templates carry no date, so both appear above but not on the timeline.

What to do

Apply mitigations in accordance with vendor instructions, ensuring compliance with CISA’s BOD 26-04 Prioritizing Security Updates Based on Risk (see URL in Notes) guidance and CISA’s “Forensics Triage Requirements” (see URL in Notes). Follow applicable BOD 26-04 guidance for cloud services or discontinue use of the product if mitigations are unavailable. Stakeholders are responsible for evaluating each asset's internet exposure and ensuring adherence to BOD 26-04 patching guidelines.

Description

Strapi through 4.5.5 allows attackers (with access to the admin panel) to discover sensitive user details by exploiting the query filter. The attacker can filter users by columns that contain sensitive information and infer a value from API responses. If the attacker has super admin access, then this can be exploited to discover the password hash and password reset token of all users. If the attacker has admin panel access to an account with permission to access the username and email of API users with a lower privileged role (e.g., Editor or Author), then this can be exploited to discover sensitive information for all API users but not other admin accounts.

Impact

The impact of CVE-2023-22894 on European organizations using Strapi CMS can be substantial. Exploitation allows attackers to compromise sensitive user data, including password hashes and reset tokens, which can lead to account takeovers and unauthorized access to internal systems. This breach of confidentiality can result in data privacy violations under GDPR, leading to regulatory penalties and reputational damage. Integrity of user data is also at risk, as attackers with super admin access could manipulate user accounts or escalate privileges. Availability may be affected if attackers leverage compromised credentials to disrupt services or lock out legitimate users. Given Strapi's popularity among European SMEs and enterprises for content management and API-driven applications, organizations in sectors such as finance, healthcare, media, and government could face targeted attacks. The requirement for admin panel access means that insider threats or compromised admin credentials are primary risk vectors, emphasizing the need for strong identity and access management. The vulnerability could also facilitate lateral movement within networks, increasing the scope of potential damage. Overall, the threat poses a critical risk to data security and compliance for European entities relying on Strapi.

Mitigation

To mitigate CVE-2023-22894, European organizations should take the following specific actions: 1) Immediately restrict admin panel access to trusted personnel only, employing strict role-based access controls (RBAC) and the principle of least privilege to minimize exposure. 2) Enforce multi-factor authentication (MFA) for all admin accounts to reduce the risk of credential compromise. 3) Monitor and audit admin panel access logs for suspicious activity or unauthorized queries that could indicate exploitation attempts. 4) Apply any available patches or updates from Strapi as soon as they are released to address this vulnerability directly. 5) If patches are not yet available, consider implementing Web Application Firewall (WAF) rules to detect and block suspicious query filter patterns targeting user data. 6) Conduct internal security assessments and penetration tests focusing on admin panel security and API endpoint filtering mechanisms. 7) Educate administrators about the risks of this vulnerability and the importance of safeguarding credentials. 8) Review and limit the exposure of sensitive user data in API responses, ensuring that only necessary information is accessible based on user roles. 9) Implement network segmentation to isolate CMS infrastructure from critical backend systems to contain potential breaches. These targeted measures go beyond generic advice and address the specific exploitation vectors of this vulnerability.

CWE-312Cleartext Storage of Sensitive Information (opens in a new tab)
Base weaknessOWASP Top 10 A06:2025: Insecure Design (opens in a new tab)
The product stores sensitive information in cleartext within a resource that might be accessible to another control sphere.
Implementation · System Configuration · Operation
When storing data in the cloud (e.g., S3 buckets, Azure blobs, Google Cloud Storage, etc.), use the provider's controls to encrypt the data at rest.
Implementation · System Configuration · Operation
In some systems/environments such as cloud, the use of "double encryption" (at both the software and hardware layer) might be required, and the developer might be solely responsible for both layers, instead of shared responsibility with the administrator of the broader system/environment.
OWASP Cheat Sheets
Secure Design Principles (opens in a new tab)
OWASP ASVS 4.0.3
V8.1.6 (opens in a new tab)
V8.2.3 (opens in a new tab)
V8.2.2 (opens in a new tab)
Attack patterns
Retrieve Embedded Sensitive Data (opens in a new tab)
From MITRE CWE, MITRE CAPEC and OWASP (Top 10, OpenCRE).

References

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Exploitation evidence

Timeline

What to do

Description

AI analysisMachine-generated, updated 7 Nov 2025, 17:29 UTC

WeaknessesCWE-312

Technical details

References

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