VulnerabilityPublished 22 Oct 2025

CVE-2023-53691: Hikvision CSMP iSecure Center · Path Traversal: '../filedir

Affects Hikvision CSMP iSecure CenterSource CVE Database V5

Not known to be exploited · CVSS 8.3 High.

Data as of 26 Oct 2026, 14:05 UTC

CVSS 3.1 base score

8.3High

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

EPSS: 1.2% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 69% 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:C/C:L/I:L/A:L

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

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: 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.
Confidentiality: Low: There is some loss of confidentiality. Access to some restricted information is obtained, but the attacker does not have control over what information is obtained, or the amount or kind of loss is limited. The information disclosure does not cause a direct, serious loss to the impacted component.
Integrity: Low: Modification of data is possible, but the attacker does not have control over the consequence of a modification, or the amount of modification is limited. The data modification does not have a direct, serious impact on the impacted component.
Availability: Low: Performance is reduced or there are interruptions in resource availability. Even if repeated exploitation of the vulnerability is possible, the attacker does not have the ability to completely deny service to legitimate users. The resources in the impacted component are either partially available all of the time, or fully available only some of the time, but overall there is no direct, serious consequence to the impacted component.

Definitions: FIRST CVSS v3.1 specification.

Exploitation evidence

Disclosed: evidence found.
CVE published 22 Oct 2025
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 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

Affected software

Product	Affected	Fixed in
Hikvision CSMP iSecure Center	Affected =0	Fixed in–

AI-suggested

Immediately restrict network access to the CSMP iSecure Center management interface, limiting it to trusted internal networks and VPN connections only.
Monitor and analyze logs for suspicious file upload attempts or directory traversal patterns targeting /center/api/files.
Implement web application firewalls (WAF) with custom rules to detect and block path traversal payloads and unauthorized file uploads.
Apply strict input validation and sanitization on file upload parameters to prevent directory traversal sequences.
Coordinate with Hikvision for timely patch deployment once available; prioritize testing and applying updates in all affected environments.
Conduct thorough security audits of CSMP iSecure Center deployments to identify unauthorized changes or implanted files.
Employ network segmentation to isolate security management platforms from general IT infrastructure, reducing lateral movement risk.
Educate security teams about this vulnerability to enhance detection and incident response readiness.
Consider alternative or additional security management solutions if patching is delayed or unsupported.

Description

Hikvision CSMP (Comprehensive Security Management Platform) iSecure Center through 2023-06-25 allows file upload via /center/api/files directory traversal, as exploited in the wild in 2024 and 2025.

Impact

For European organizations, the impact of CVE-2023-53691 is significant due to Hikvision's extensive deployment in security management and surveillance infrastructure. Successful exploitation can lead to unauthorized file uploads, enabling attackers to implant malware, disrupt monitoring services, or escalate privileges within the network. This compromises the confidentiality of sensitive surveillance data, the integrity of security configurations, and the availability of critical monitoring systems. Sectors such as government, transportation, energy, and large enterprises relying on Hikvision CSMP iSecure Center for centralized security management are particularly vulnerable. The potential for remote exploitation without authentication increases the risk of widespread attacks, including ransomware or espionage campaigns. Disruption of security monitoring can have cascading effects on physical security and incident response capabilities, elevating the threat to public safety and organizational resilience.

CWE-24Path Traversal: '../filedir' (opens in a new tab)
Variant weakness
The product uses external input to construct a pathname that should be within a restricted directory, but it does not properly neutralize "../" sequences that can resolve to a location that is outside of that directory.
Implementation · Input Validation
Assume all input is malicious. Use an "accept known good" input validation strategy, i.e., use a list of acceptable inputs that strictly conform to specifications. Reject any input that does not strictly conform to specifications, or transform it into something that does.
Implementation · Input Validation
Inputs should be decoded and canonicalized to the application's current internal representation before being validated (CWE-180). Make sure that the application does not decode the same input twice (CWE-174).
OWASP ASVS 4.0.3
V12.3.1 (opens in a new tab)
From MITRE CWE, MITRE CAPEC and OWASP (Top 10, OpenCRE).

References

zhuanlan.zhihu.com/p/639514473 (opens in a new tab)

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Exploitation evidence

What to do

Affected software

Description

AI analysisMachine-generated, updated 29 Oct 2025, 04:42 UTC

WeaknessesCWE-24

Technical details

References

Community reviews

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