Strapi Cleartext Storage of Sensitive Information
CVE-2023-22894 is a medium-severity cleartext storage of sensitive information vulnerability in Strapi, with a CVSS 3.1 base score of 4.9 out of 10. It can be exploited remotely over the network by an attacker with administrator privileges, without any action from a user. The record lists version 4.8.0 as the first without the flaw, so updating Strapi to that release or later removes the exposure. CISA added it to the Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalogue on October 8, 2026, which means attacks have been observed in the wild.
Attackers are already exploiting this vulnerability, according to CISA.
What to do
- Update Strapi to 4.8.0 or a later version.
- CISA's required action: 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.
- Read the advisory on strapi.io for workarounds and exact fixed builds.
Affected products and versions
Version data comes from NVD's product matching. Confirm against the vendor advisory before deciding you are unaffected.
How the severity score breaks down
- Attack vector
- NetworkCan be exploited remotely over a network, including the internet.
- Attack complexity
- LowNo special conditions are needed; the attack works reliably.
- Privileges required
- HighAdministrator-level access is required first.
- User interaction
- NoneNo action by a victim is required.
- Scope
- UnchangedImpact stays within the vulnerable component.
- Confidentiality
- HighAll data handled by the component can be read.
- Integrity
- NoneNothing can be modified.
- Availability
- NoneAvailability is not affected.
Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N. Scored by NVD.
| Scoring system | Score | Severity | Scored by |
|---|---|---|---|
| CVSS 3.1 | 4.9 | Medium | NVD |
| CVSS 3.1 | 7.2 | High | CISA (ADP) |
Official 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.
Source: the CVE record as published by its numbering authority, via NVD and CVE.org.
The underlying weakness: Cleartext Storage of Sensitive Information
The product stores sensitive information in cleartext within a resource that might be accessible to another control sphere.
How developers prevent this class of flaw
- 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.
- 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.
More Cleartext Storage of Sensitive Information vulnerabilities (CWE-312)
Timeline
- CVE record published.
- CISA published its SSVC assessment (exploitation: active, automatable: no, technical impact: total).
- Added to CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalogue.
- Record last changed materially (score, affected products, status or references).
- Deadline for US federal agencies to remediate, set by CISA.
References
Advisories
Patches and release notes
- github.com/strapi/strapi/releasesRelease Notes
Third-party and government advisories
- cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog?field_cve=CVE-2023-22894US Government Resource
Technical write-ups (may include proof of concept)
- ghostccamm.com/blog/multi_strapi_vulns/Exploit, Third Party Advisory
Other vulnerabilities in Strapi
- 8.7 High severity
- 7.5 High severity
- 7.2 High severity
- 8.2 High severity
- 7.5 High severity
- 8.6 High severity
Recent Cleartext Storage of Sensitive Information vulnerabilities
- 7.8 High severity
- 7.5 High severity
- 7.5 High severity
- 7.5 High severity
- 7.5 High severity
- 9.8 Critical severity
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