CVE-2023-38693: Lucee Remote Code Execution Vulnerability

CRITICAL
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-vwjx-mmwm-pwrf
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CVSS 10.0
CWE-611
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2023-38693 is a CRITICAL (CVSS 10.0) remote code execution vulnerability (CWE-611: Improper Restriction of XML External Entity Reference) affecting Lucee libraries in the Maven ecosystem. The issue involves lucee rce/xxe vulnerability. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 5.3.9.173, 5.3.12.1, 5.4.3.2, 5.3.8.236.

CVE-2023-38693 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2023-38693
GHSA Identifier GHSA-vwjx-mmwm-pwrf
Severity CRITICAL
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 10.0
CWE Classification CWE-611: Improper Restriction of XML External Entity Reference
Affected Product Lucee
Package Ecosystem Maven
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 10.0

The security impact metrics below are parsed directly from the CVSS v3.1 vector string (CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H).

Attack Vector Network (AV:N)
Attack Complexity Low (AC:L)
Privileges Required None (PR:N)
User Interaction None (UI:N)
Scope Changed (S:C)
Confidentiality High (C:H)
Integrity High (I:H)
Availability High (A:H)

How to Fix CVE-2023-38693

To remediate this vulnerability, upgrade all affected Lucee dependencies to a patched release. Both direct and transitive dependencies should be checked, as frameworks or security libraries may pull in vulnerable versions transitively.

org.lucee:lucee fixed: 5.3.9.173 
<dependency>
    <groupId>org.lucee</groupId>
    <artifactId>lucee</artifactId>
    <version>5.3.9.173</version>
</dependency>
org.lucee:lucee fixed: 5.3.12.1 
<dependency>
    <groupId>org.lucee</groupId>
    <artifactId>lucee</artifactId>
    <version>5.3.12.1</version>
</dependency>
org.lucee:lucee fixed: 5.4.3.2 
<dependency>
    <groupId>org.lucee</groupId>
    <artifactId>lucee</artifactId>
    <version>5.4.3.2</version>
</dependency>
org.lucee:lucee fixed: Latest secure release 
<dependency>
    <groupId>org.lucee</groupId>
    <artifactId>lucee</artifactId>
    <version>Latest secure release</version>
</dependency>
org.lucee:lucee fixed: 5.3.8.236 
<dependency>
    <groupId>org.lucee</groupId>
    <artifactId>lucee</artifactId>
    <version>5.3.8.236</version>
</dependency>
Verify Direct and Transitive Dependencies

Run the following command in your project directory to verify that all resolved dependencies use the patched release: 

mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=org.lucee

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Java application is affected by CVE-2023-38693, inspect your build dependencies using the Maven Dependency Plugin:

mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=org.lucee

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Lucee in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 5.3.9.173), your application is affected.

Note: The mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=org.lucee command inspects the resolved dependency graph declared in your project's POM files; it does not perform automated security scanning or inspect runtime dynamic classpaths. Always verify runtime container classpaths and shaded JARs.

Technical Details

Vulnerability Mechanism & Technical Analysis

This vulnerability is classified under CWE-611: Improper Restriction of XML External Entity Reference, where the product processes an xml document that can contain xml entities with uris that resolve to documents outside of the intended sphere of control, causing the product to embed incorrect documents into its output. In Lucee, software state validation or input boundaries are circumvented during processing. Review the official source advisory statement below for specific affected components, classes, and reproduction details.

Source Advisory Statement

### Impact The Lucee team received a responsible disclosure of a security vulnerability which affects all previous releases of Lucee. After reviewing the report and confirming the vulnerability, the Lucee team then conducted a further security review and found additional vulnerabilities which have been addressed as part of this this security update. ### Patches Lucee 5.4.3.2 and 5.3.12.1 stable releases have been patched with additional hardening The older releases, 5.3.7.59., 5.3.8.236 and 5.3.9.173 have also been patched Any users running older release, should plan to immediately upgrade to the latest stable release 6.0 will have a RC as it's not yet released

CVE-2023-38693 Affected Lucee Versions

5 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
5.3.9.1735.3.12.15.4.3.25.3.8.236
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
org.lucee:lucee
maven/org.lucee/lucee
Maven
≥ 5.3.9.113
< 5.3.9.173
5.3.9.173
org.lucee:lucee
maven/org.lucee/lucee
Maven
≥ 5.3.10.79-RC
< 5.3.12.1
5.3.12.1
org.lucee:lucee
maven/org.lucee/lucee
Maven
≥ 5.4.0.65-RC
< 5.4.3.2
5.4.3.2
org.lucee:lucee
maven/org.lucee/lucee
Maven
≤ 5.3.7.59
org.lucee:lucee
maven/org.lucee/lucee
Maven
≥ 5.3.8.132-RC
< 5.3.8.236
5.3.8.236

References

GitHub Advisory / Wiki ADVISORY
https://github.com/lucee/Lucee/security/advisories/GHSA-vwjx-mmwm-pwrf
NVD — CVE-2023-38693 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-38693
Lucee Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/lucee/Lucee

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2023-38693?
CVE-2023-38693 is a security vulnerability in Lucee involving Lucee RCE/XXE Vulnerability under CWE-611: Improper Restriction of XML External Entity Reference.
Which Lucee versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 5.3.9.173, 5.3.12.1, 5.4.3.2, 5.3.8.236 across affected packages: org.lucee:lucee.
What version fixes CVE-2023-38693?
Upgrading to 5.3.9.173, 5.3.12.1, 5.4.3.2, 5.3.8.236 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is lucee affected?
Yes, org.lucee:lucee is affected in releases prior to 5.3.9.173, 5.3.12.1, 5.4.3.2, Latest secure release, 5.3.8.236. Upgrade your dependency to 5.3.9.173, 5.3.12.1, 5.4.3.2, Latest secure release, 5.3.8.236 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2023-38693?
CVE-2023-38693 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 10.0 (CRITICAL) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2023-38693?
CVE-2023-38693 is classified under CWE-611: Improper Restriction of XML External Entity Reference (The product processes an XML document that can contain XML entities with URIs that resolve to documents outside of the intended sphere of control, causing the product to embed incorrect documents into its output.).
How can I check Maven dependencies for CVE-2023-38693?
Run the dependency tree command: 'mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=org.lucee'. This command lists direct and transitive dependencies in your build configuration so you can verify if a vulnerable version is resolved.
Machine-readable OSV JSON OSV v1.5 Schema
Normalized schema output
View Raw JSON 
{
  "schema_version" : "1.4.0",
  "id" : "GHSA-vwjx-mmwm-pwrf",
  "modified" : "2025-03-05T19:30:32Z",
  "published" : "2025-03-05T18:31:03Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2023-38693" ],
  "summary" : "Lucee RCE/XXE Vulnerability",
  "details" : "### Impact\n\nThe Lucee team received a responsible disclosure of a security vulnerability which affects all previous releases of Lucee.\n\nAfter reviewing the report and confirming the vulnerability, the Lucee team then conducted a further security review and found additional vulnerabilities which have been addressed as part of this this security update.\n\n### Patches\n\nLucee 5.4.3.2 and 5.3.12.1 stable releases have been patched with additional hardening\n\nThe older releases, 5.3.7.59., 5.3.8.236 and 5.3.9.173 have also been patched\n\nAny users running older release, should plan to immediately upgrade to the latest stable release\n\n6.0 will have a RC as it's not yet released",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Maven",
      "name" : "org.lucee:lucee"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "5.3.10.79-RC"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "5.3.12.1"
      } ]
    } ]
  }, {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Maven",
      "name" : "org.lucee:lucee"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "5.4.0.65-RC"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "5.4.3.2"
      } ]
    } ]
  }, {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Maven",
      "name" : "org.lucee:lucee"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "last_affected" : "5.3.7.59"
      } ]
    } ]
  }, {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Maven",
      "name" : "org.lucee:lucee"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "5.3.8.132-RC"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "5.3.8.236"
      } ]
    } ]
  }, {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Maven",
      "name" : "org.lucee:lucee"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "5.3.9.113"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "5.3.9.173"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/lucee/Lucee/security/advisories/GHSA-vwjx-mmwm-pwrf"
  }, {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-38693"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/lucee/Lucee"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-611" ],
    "severity" : "CRITICAL",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2025-03-05T18:31:03Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2025-03-05T16:15:37Z"
  }
}