VulnerabilityPublished 15 Nov 2023Updated 21 Oct 2025

CVE-2023-48365: Qlik Sense · HTTP Request/Response Smuggling

Affects Qlik SenseSource CVE Database V5

Mentioned vulnerabilities

CVE-2023-41265

Exploited in the wild · used in ransomware campaigns · KEV due 3 Feb 2025 · 47% EPSS : apply the vendor's fix or mitigations to Qlik Sense now.

Data as of 26 Oct 2026, 10:12 UTC

CVSS 3.1 base score

9.6Critical

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

KEV deadline: 3 Feb 2025 US federal agencies must patch by this date; a sensible deadline for everyone else.
Ransomware: Used in ransomware campaigns
EPSS: 47.7% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 98% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.

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

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

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

Attack Complexity: Low: Specialized access conditions or extenuating circumstances do not exist. An attacker can expect repeatable success against the vulnerable component.
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).
Availability: None: There is no impact to availability within the impacted component.
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.
Privileges Required: Low: The attacker is authorized with (i.e., requires) privileges that provide basic user capabilities that could normally affect only settings and files owned by a user. Alternatively, an attacker with Low privileges may have the ability to cause an impact only to non-sensitive resources.
Scope: Changed: An exploited vulnerability can affect resources beyond the security scope managed by the security authority of the vulnerable component. In this case, the vulnerable component and the impacted component are different and managed by different security authorities.
User Interaction: None: The vulnerable system can be exploited without any interaction from any user.

Definitions: FIRST CVSS v3.1 specification.

Exploitation evidence

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

Disclosed: evidence found.
CVE published 15 Nov 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 1.2 years after disclosure
Observed by OffSeq MirageSeen by Mirage: no evidence on record.
No attack traffic recorded by OffSeq Mirage sensors

CVE published
on cve.org
15 Nov 2023, t = 0
Added to CISA KEV (opens in a new tab)
exploitation confirmed · ransomware use known
13 Jan 2025, 1.2 years after disclosure
KEV remediation due
US federal deadline
3 Feb 2025, 1.2 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 per vendor instructions or discontinue use of the product if mitigations are unavailable.

Description

Qlik Sense Enterprise for Windows before August 2023 Patch 2 allows unauthenticated remote code execution, aka QB-21683. Due to improper validation of HTTP headers, a remote attacker is able to elevate their privilege by tunneling HTTP requests, allowing them to execute HTTP requests on the backend server that hosts the repository application. The fixed versions are August 2023 Patch 2, May 2023 Patch 6, February 2023 Patch 10, November 2022 Patch 12, August 2022 Patch 14, May 2022 Patch 16, February 2022 Patch 15, and November 2021 Patch 17. NOTE: this issue exists because of an incomplete fix for CVE-2023-41265.

Impact

For European organizations, this vulnerability poses a significant threat, especially those relying on Qlik Sense Enterprise for critical business intelligence and data analytics. Successful exploitation could lead to unauthorized access to sensitive data, manipulation or destruction of data, and disruption of business operations. Given Qlik Sense's role in aggregating and analyzing enterprise data, attackers could leverage this vulnerability to pivot within networks, escalate privileges, and compromise additional systems. The lack of authentication requirement and ease of exploitation increase the risk of widespread attacks. Industries such as finance, healthcare, manufacturing, and government agencies in Europe that use Qlik Sense are particularly vulnerable, as data confidentiality and integrity are paramount. Additionally, disruption of analytics services could impact decision-making processes and operational continuity. The vulnerability could also be leveraged for espionage or sabotage in the context of geopolitical tensions, increasing the risk for countries with strategic economic or political importance.

Mitigation

1. Immediate application of the latest patches released by Qlik for all affected versions, specifically August 2023 Patch 2 or later. 2. Restrict network access to the Qlik Sense repository server by implementing strict firewall rules and network segmentation to limit exposure to untrusted networks. 3. Deploy Web Application Firewalls (WAFs) with custom rules to detect and block suspicious HTTP header manipulations and tunneling attempts. 4. Monitor HTTP traffic logs for anomalies indicative of tunneling or unusual request patterns targeting the repository application. 5. Conduct regular vulnerability scans and penetration tests focused on Qlik Sense deployments to identify residual risks. 6. Implement strict access controls and least privilege principles for users and services interacting with Qlik Sense. 7. Maintain an incident response plan tailored to potential exploitation scenarios involving Qlik Sense. 8. Educate IT and security teams about this vulnerability and signs of exploitation to ensure rapid detection and response.

CWE-444Inconsistent Interpretation of HTTP Requests ('HTTP Request/Response Smuggling') (opens in a new tab)
Base weaknessOWASP Top 10 A06:2025: Insecure Design (opens in a new tab)
The product acts as an intermediary HTTP agent (such as a proxy or firewall) in the data flow between two entities such as a client and server, but it does not interpret malformed HTTP requests or responses in ways that are consistent with how the messages will be processed by those entities that are at the ultimate destination.
Implementation
Use a web server that employs a strict HTTP parsing procedure, such as Apache.
Implementation
Use only SSL communication.
Implementation
Terminate the client session after each request.
OWASP Cheat Sheets
REST Assessment (opens in a new tab)
REST Security (opens in a new tab)
Cross-Site Request Forgery Prevention (opens in a new tab)
Secure Design Principles (opens in a new tab)
OWASP ASVS 4.0.3
V13.2.5 (opens in a new tab)
Attack patterns
HTTP Response Smuggling (opens in a new tab)
HTTP Request Smuggling (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 21 Oct 2025, 20:04 UTC

WeaknessesCWE-444

Technical details

References

Community reviews

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