CVE-2023-22518 — Atlassian Confluence Data Center and Server Improper Authorization Vulnerability

Triage

Is it exploited, how likely is exploitation, what does it touch, and how severe do the sources call it.

CISA SSVC assessment CISA

Three decision points CISA publishes for the CVEs it assesses (SSVC 2.0.3). A stakeholder decision, not a severity score.

Remediation

Fixes and mitigations documented by the sources — linked to the original advisory.

• Documented mitigation — confluence.atlassian.com (NIST National Vulnerability Database)
• Documented mitigation — jira.atlassian.com (NIST National Vulnerability Database)

CISA required action CISA

Apply mitigations per vendor instructions or discontinue use of the product if mitigations are unavailable.

US federal deadline: Nov 28, 2023 — passed 1053 day(s) ago

First 24 hours

Ordered from the record’s own fields — exposure first, because you cannot patch what you have not found. A rule-generated starting point.

1. Identify exposed assets running the affected vendor/product/version combinations (Atlassian Confluence Data Center, Atlassian Confluence Server).
2. Treat as emergency remediation: the CVE is in CISA KEV (confirmed exploitation).
3. The attack is network-based and needs no privileges: restrict exposure (ACLs, VPN, WAF) until patched.
4. Apply the documented mitigations until a definitive fix is available.
5. EPSS ahead of 100% of scored CVEs: prioritize it in the patch queue.
6. Search available logs for exploit probes matching the vulnerability class (access control), errors and authentication anomalies.

Affected scope

Vendor, product and versions as the sources word them.

Attack characteristics

The CVSS vector, decoded. It describes the attack, not your exposure to it.

Every base score collected

Sources score independently and may disagree; each row says who scored it and under which version.

Weakness MITRE

Weakness class according to MITRE’s CWE catalog.

CWE-863 · Incorrect Authorization

Other CVEs with this weakness →

CISA KEV details CISA

CISA lists a CVE once it has evidence of exploitation against real targets.

CISA records ransomware use only for campaigns it has confirmed, so “Unknown” means unrecorded, not ruled out. The deadline binds US federal agencies; for everyone else it is a reference date.

Public exploits, PoCs and detection templates

Public code that demonstrates or tests the flaw raises the odds of mass exploitation — and Nuclei templates help find vulnerable assets in your environment.

Warning: public PoCs are sometimes disguised malware. Use them only for authorized testing in an isolated environment. This portal does not host exploit code — it only points to the sources.

EPSS over time FIRST

Oct 13, 2026 → Oct 15, 2026 · 3 reading(s) · max 100.00%

Detection

Read off the CVSS vector and the weakness class. Starting points, not tested rules.

• Prioritize edge telemetry for the network-reachable component (proxy, WAF, IDS/IPS).
• Audit administrative actions and access to resources outside each user’s normal pattern.
• Hunt retroactively in logs from before Nov 7, 2023 (KEV listing): exploitation may have started earlier.

Timeline

What happened to this CVE, newest first.

• 2026
• Affected products added · atlassian/confluence data center, atlassian/confluence server
  Oct 13, 2026 · CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP
• SSVC assessment updated
  Oct 13, 2026 · CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP
• Record published
  Oct 13, 2026
• Fix documented
  Oct 13, 2026 · NIST National Vulnerability Database
• Affected products added · atlassian/confluence data center, atlassian/confluence server
  Oct 13, 2026 · NIST National Vulnerability Database
• CVSS changed · 9.8
  Oct 13, 2026 · NIST National Vulnerability Database
• Source status changed · → Analyzed
  Oct 13, 2026 · NIST National Vulnerability Database
• Added to CISA KEV (detected)
  Oct 13, 2026 · CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities
• Record created in this database
  Oct 13, 2026 · CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities
• 2023
• Added to CISA KEV catalog
  Nov 6, 2023 · CISA
• CVE published
  Oct 31, 2023 · atlassian

Source activity

Repeated readings are counted rather than listed.

• 2× References added · Oct 13, 2026 – Oct 13, 2026
• 1× Official description updated · Oct 13, 2026 – Oct 13, 2026

References

11 on the record

• jira.atlassian.com/browse/CONFSERVER-93142
  Issue Tracking, Mitigation, Vendor Advisory, NIST National Vulnerability Database
• confluence.atlassian.com/pages/viewpage.action
  Issue Tracking, Mitigation, Vendor Advisory, NIST National Vulnerability Database
• www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog
  US Government Resource, NIST National Vulnerability Database
• nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-22518
  GitHub Security Advisories
• packetstormsecurity.com/files/176264/Atlassian-Confluence-Improper-Authorization-Code-Executi
  Exploit, Third Party Advisory, VDB Entry, NIST National Vulnerability Database
• github.com/RootUp/PersonalStuff/blob/master/check_cve_2023_22518.py
  GitHub Security Advisories
• www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/atlassian-warns-of-exploit-for-confluence-data-wiping-b
  GitHub Security Advisories
• www.rapid7.com/blog/post/2023/11/06/etr-rapid7-observed-exploitation-of-atlassian-co
  GitHub Security Advisories
• github.com/advisories/GHSA-8prx-84h6-4fr5
  GitHub Security Advisories
• github.com/projectdiscovery/nuclei-templates/blob/main/http/cves/2023/CVE-2023-2
  GitHub Security Advisories
• www.securityweek.com/exploitation-of-critical-confluence-vulnerability-begins
  GitHub Security Advisories

Elsewhere on this site

Related CVEs (same products)

• High CVE-2026-21589 Atlassian Multiple Products Files or Directories Accessible to External Parties Vulnerability KEV 10d
• High CVE-2026-21588 Uncontrolled Resource Consumption in Atlassian Confluence Data Center Sep 15, 2026
• High CVE-2026-21586 Improper Authorization in Atlassian Confluence Data Center Sep 15, 2026
• Critical CVE-2026-21580 Cross-site Scripting (XSS) in Atlassian Confluence Data Center Aug 18, 2026
• High CVE-2026-21579 Exposure of Sensitive Information in Atlassian Confluence Data Center Jul 21, 2026
• Medium CVE-2026-21577 Uncontrolled Resource Consumption in Atlassian Confluence Data Center Jul 21, 2026

Not in any source we poll

Listed rather than left blank: an empty field and an unmeasured one look identical on screen, and only one is a reason to look elsewhere.

• No confirmed IOCs, IP addresses, domains, file hashes, or malware artifacts supplied.
• No organization-specific asset inventory, compensating-control status, or patch deployment evidence supplied.
• No exploit packet captures, log samples, or incident case IDs supplied.

Answered from this record

Text assembled only from the fields above — no additional claims.

What should defenders know first?

CVE-2023-22518 is "Atlassian Confluence Data Center and Server Improper Authorization Vulnerability", rated Critical. It affects Confluence Data Center (Atlassian); versions are in the scope table. It is in CISA KEV: there is evidence of real-world exploitation. CVSS 9.8 describes technical severity. EPSS 100.00% estimates the probability of exploitation in 30 days; neither replaces your asset context. First verify whether exposed or business-critical assets run the affected versions, apply vendor fixes or mitigations, and preserve logs for review.

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