CVE-2023-36456
8.3 · HIGHOverview
CVE-2023-36456 is a high-severity vulnerability affecting goauthentik authentik. It was published on July 6, 2023 and has a CVSS 3.1 base score of 8.3 (HIGH).
This vulnerability has a CVSS 3.1 base score of 8.3, rated HIGH. It can be exploited remotely over the network. No authentication or special privileges are required for exploitation.
Technical Description
authentik is an open-source Identity Provider. Prior to versions 2023.4.3 and 2023.5.5, authentik does not verify the source of the X-Forwarded-For and X-Real-IP headers, both in the Python code and the go code. Only authentik setups that are directly accessible by users without a reverse proxy are susceptible to this. Possible spoofing of IP addresses in logs, downstream applications proxied by (built in) outpost, IP bypassing in custom flows if used.
This poses a possible security risk when someone has flows or policies that check the user's IP address, e.g. when they want to ignore the user's 2 factor authentication when the user is connected to the company network. A second security risk is that the IP addresses in the logfiles and user sessions are not reliable anymore. Anybody can spoof this address and one cannot verify that the user has logged in from the IP address that is in their account's log. A third risk is that this header is passed on to the proxied application behind
Remediation
Check the references section for vendor advisories and patches from goauthentik. Update authentik to the latest patched version. If immediate patching is not possible, review the CVSS vector to understand the attack surface and apply compensating controls such as network segmentation or access restrictions.
Affected Products
| Vendor | Product | Versions | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| goauthentik | authentik | >= 0, < 2023.4.3 | Affected |
References
Frequently Asked Questions
What is CVE-2023-36456?
CVE-2023-36456 is a high-severity vulnerability affecting goauthentik authentik. It was published on July 6, 2023 and has a CVSS 3.1 base score of 8.3 (HIGH).
How severe is CVE-2023-36456?
This vulnerability has a CVSS 3.1 base score of 8.3, rated HIGH. It can be exploited remotely over the network. No authentication or special privileges are required for exploitation.
How do I fix or remediate CVE-2023-36456?
Check the references section for vendor advisories and patches from goauthentik. Update authentik to the latest patched version. If immediate patching is not possible, review the CVSS vector to understand the attack surface and apply compensating controls such as network segmentation or access restrictions.
How can CyberStrike help with CVE-2023-36456?
CyberStrike's AI-powered security agents can automatically detect CVE-2023-36456 across your infrastructure using autonomous pentesting, DAST scanning, and HackBrowser. The platform continuously monitors for known vulnerabilities and provides actionable remediation guidance prioritized by real-world exploitability.
How CyberStrike Helps
AI agents map your attack surface to find vulnerabilities like this one.
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