^{CVE-2023-22518:}Critical vulnerability in Atlassian Confluence Data Center and Server allows unauthenticated attackers to reset Confluence and create an administrator account.

Overview

This vulnerability represents a severe security risk for organizations using self-hosted Confluence instances. The improper authorization vulnerability allows attackers to bypass authentication controls and gain administrative access to Confluence instances. With administrator privileges, attackers can access sensitive information, modify or delete content, add malicious code, create additional user accounts, or completely take over the Confluence instance. The vulnerability has been assigned a CWE-863 classification (Improper Authorization) and affects all versions of Confluence Data Center and Server. The exploit requires no user interaction and can be executed remotely by unauthenticated attackers, making it particularly dangerous. Organizations should consider this a high-priority security issue requiring immediate attention.

Remediation

Organizations using Confluence Data Center or Server should take the following immediate actions:

1. Update to a patched version of Confluence as soon as possible. Atlassian has released fixed versions to address this vulnerability.
2. If immediate patching is not possible, consider temporarily disabling public access to your Confluence instance until patching can be completed.
3. Implement network-level protections such as IP allowlisting to restrict access to trusted networks only.
4. Monitor your Confluence instance for any suspicious activities, particularly focusing on administrative actions and newly created accounts.
5. Review audit logs to identify any potential exploitation attempts or unauthorized access.
6. Consider implementing additional authentication layers such as VPN requirements or web application firewalls to protect your Confluence instance.
7. Refer to Atlassian's security advisory (https://confluence.atlassian.com/pages/viewpage.action?pageId=1311473907) for specific patching instructions and additional mitigation guidance.

References

1. Atlassian Security Advisory: https://confluence.atlassian.com/pages/viewpage.action?pageId=1311473907
2. Atlassian Jira Issue: https://jira.atlassian.com/browse/CONFSERVER-93142
3. Packet Storm Security Exploit Details: http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/176264/Atlassian-Confluence-Improper-Authorization-Code-Execution.html
4. CWE-863 (Improper Authorization): https://cwe.mitre.org/data/definitions/863.html