CVE-2023-51982VulnerabilityPublished 30 Jan 2024Updated 29 May 2025

CVE-2023-51982: n/a

Source CVE Database V5

Not known to be exploited · CVSS 9.8 Critical.

Data as of 26 Oct 2026, 08:30 UTC

CVSS 3.1 base score

9.8Critical

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

EPSS: 0.7% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 54% 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

Disclosed: evidence found.
CVE published 30 Jan 2024
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: no evidence on record.
Not in CISA KEV and no source reports exploitation
Observed by OffSeq MirageSeen by Mirage: no evidence on record.
No attack traffic recorded by OffSeq Mirage sensors

A missing step is not evidence of safety. Sources: cve.org (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 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

Affected software

Product	Affected	Fixed in
GitHubcrate/crate`pkg:github/crate/crate`Other threats	Affected =5.5.1	Fixed in–

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AI-suggested

To mitigate this vulnerability, European organizations should immediately restrict access to the CrateDB Admin UI to trusted networks and IP addresses, effectively minimizing exposure to untrusted sources. Implement network-level controls such as firewalls and VPNs to limit Admin UI accessibility. Organizations should monitor and filter HTTP headers, particularly the X-Real-IP header, to prevent spoofing or manipulation by external actors. Employ web application firewalls (WAFs) with custom rules to detect and block suspicious header values. Until an official patch is released, consider disabling the Admin UI if operationally feasible or deploying it behind strong authentication proxies that enforce multi-factor authentication (MFA). Regularly audit access logs for unusual or unauthorized access attempts. Stay informed about CrateDB security advisories and apply patches promptly once available. Additionally, conduct internal security assessments and penetration tests focusing on the Admin UI to identify and remediate potential exploitation paths.

Description

CrateDB 5.5.1 is contains an authentication bypass vulnerability in the Admin UI component. After configuring password authentication and_ Local_ In the case of an address, identity authentication can be bypassed by setting the X-Real IP request header to a specific value and accessing the Admin UI directly using the default user identity.(https://github.com/crate/crate/issues/15231)

Impact

For European organizations utilizing CrateDB 5.5.1, this vulnerability poses a severe risk. Unauthorized access to the Admin UI can lead to full compromise of the database system, including unauthorized data access, data manipulation, and potential disruption of services relying on CrateDB. Given the critical nature of the vulnerability, attackers could exfiltrate sensitive information, alter or delete data, and disrupt business operations. This is particularly concerning for sectors handling sensitive or regulated data such as finance, healthcare, telecommunications, and government agencies within Europe. The breach of confidentiality and integrity could lead to regulatory non-compliance under GDPR, resulting in legal and financial penalties. Additionally, availability impacts could disrupt critical analytics and operational processes dependent on CrateDB, affecting decision-making and service delivery.

Summary

CVE-2023-51982 is a critical authentication bypass vulnerability affecting CrateDB version 5.5.1, specifically within its Admin UI component. CrateDB is a distributed SQL database management system designed for real-time analytics. The vulnerability arises when password authentication is configured alongside local address-based identity authentication. An attacker can exploit this flaw by manipulating the X-Real-IP HTTP request header to a specific value, thereby bypassing the intended authentication mechanism and gaining unauthorized access to the Admin UI. This bypass allows the attacker to assume the default user identity without providing valid credentials. The vulnerability is classified under CWE-287 (Improper Authentication), indicating a failure to properly verify user identity. The CVSS v3.1 base score of 9.8 reflects the high severity, with network attack vector (AV:N), low attack complexity (AC:L), no privileges required (PR:N), no user interaction (UI:N), and full impact on confidentiality, integrity, and availability (C:H/I:H/A:H). Although no known exploits in the wild have been reported yet, the ease of exploitation and critical impact make this a significant threat. The lack of available patches at the time of reporting underscores the urgency for organizations to implement mitigations and monitor for updates from CrateDB.

CWE-287Improper Authentication (opens in a new tab)
Class weaknessLikelihood of exploit: HighOWASP Top 10 A07:2025: Authentication Failures (opens in a new tab)
When an actor claims to have a given identity, the product does not prove or insufficiently proves that the claim is correct.
MITRE discourages mapping vulnerabilities to this broad entry; the root cause is usually a more specific weakness.
Architecture and Design · Libraries or Frameworks
Use an authentication framework or library such as the OWASP ESAPI Authentication feature.
OWASP Cheat Sheets
OWASP Authentication (opens in a new tab)
OWASP ASVS 4.0.3
V2.8.5 (opens in a new tab)
V2.8.4 (opens in a new tab)
V9.2.3 (opens in a new tab)
Attack patterns
Fake the Source of Data (opens in a new tab)
Utilizing REST's Trust in the System Resource to Obtain Sensitive Data (opens in a new tab)
Session Hijacking (opens in a new tab)
Token Impersonation (opens in a new tab)
Upload a Web Shell to a Web Server (opens in a new tab)
From MITRE CWE, MITRE CAPEC and OWASP (Top 10, OpenCRE).

References

github.com/crate/crate/issues/15231 (opens in a new tab)

Community reviews

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Exploitation evidence

What to do

Affected software

Description

AI analysisMachine-generated, updated 8 Jul 2025, 01:12 UTC

WeaknessesCWE-287

Technical details

References

Community reviews

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