CVE-2023-23915: Software Security Vulnerability Vulnerability

MODERATE
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-2c3h-vr56-625m
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CVSS 6.5
CWE-319
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2023-23915 is a MODERATE (CVSS 6.5) security vulnerability vulnerability (CWE-319: Cleartext Transmission of Sensitive Information) affecting Software libraries in the Maven ecosystem. The weakness occurs when the product transmits sensitive or security-critical data in cleartext in a communication channel that can be sniffed by unauthorized actors.. Remediation is available in the latest vendor maintenance releases.

CVE-2023-23915 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2023-23915
GHSA Identifier GHSA-2c3h-vr56-625m
Severity MODERATE
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 6.5
CWE Classification CWE-319: Cleartext Transmission of Sensitive Information
Affected Product Software
Package Ecosystem Maven
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 6.5

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:U/C:L/I:L/A:N).

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

How to Fix CVE-2023-23915

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

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

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Java application is affected by CVE-2023-23915, inspect your build dependencies using the Maven Dependency Plugin:

mvn dependency:tree

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

Note: The mvn dependency:tree 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-319: Cleartext Transmission of Sensitive Information, where the product transmits sensitive or security-critical data in cleartext in a communication channel that can be sniffed by unauthorized actors. In Software, 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

A cleartext transmission of sensitive information vulnerability exists in curl <v7.88.0 that could cause HSTS functionality to behave incorrectly when multiple URLs are requested in parallel. Using its HSTS support, curl can be instructed to use HTTPS instead of using an insecure clear-text HTTP step even when HTTP is provided in the URL. This HSTS mechanism would however surprisingly fail when multiple transfers are done in parallel as the HSTS cache file gets overwritten by the most recentlycompleted transfer. A later HTTP-only transfer to the earlier host name would then *not* get upgraded properly to HSTS.

References

NVD — CVE-2023-23915 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-23915
hackerone.com/reports/1826048 WEB
https://hackerone.com/reports/1826048
hackerone.com/reports/1874716 WEB
https://hackerone.com/reports/1874716
cert-portal.siemens.com/productcert/html/ss... WEB
https://cert-portal.siemens.com/productcert/html/ssa-398330.html
Software Security Information SECURITY
https://security.gentoo.org/glsa/202310-12
Software Security Information SECURITY
https://security.netapp.com/advisory/ntap-20230309-0006

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2023-23915?
CVE-2023-23915 is a security vulnerability in Software classified as a security vulnerability vulnerability under CWE-319: Cleartext Transmission of Sensitive Information.
Which Software versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to current release patches.
What version fixes CVE-2023-23915?
Upgrading to current release patches (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2023-23915?
CVE-2023-23915 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 6.5 (MODERATE) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:N.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2023-23915?
CVE-2023-23915 is classified under CWE-319: Cleartext Transmission of Sensitive Information (The product transmits sensitive or security-critical data in cleartext in a communication channel that can be sniffed by unauthorized actors.).
How can I check Maven dependencies for CVE-2023-23915?
Run the dependency tree command: 'mvn dependency:tree'. 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-2c3h-vr56-625m",
  "modified" : "2026-10-15T00:30:37Z",
  "published" : "2023-02-23T21:30:16Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2023-23915" ],
  "details" : "A cleartext transmission of sensitive information vulnerability exists in curl <v7.88.0 that could cause HSTS functionality to behave incorrectly when multiple URLs are requested in parallel. Using its HSTS support, curl can be instructed to use HTTPS instead of using an insecure clear-text HTTP step even when HTTP is provided in the URL. This HSTS mechanism would however surprisingly fail when multiple transfers are done in parallel as the HSTS cache file gets overwritten by the most recentlycompleted transfer. A later HTTP-only transfer to the earlier host name would then *not* get upgraded properly to HSTS.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:N"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-23915"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://hackerone.com/reports/1826048"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://hackerone.com/reports/1874716"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://cert-portal.siemens.com/productcert/html/ssa-398330.html"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://security.gentoo.org/glsa/202310-12"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://security.netapp.com/advisory/ntap-20230309-0006"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-319" ],
    "severity" : "MODERATE",
    "github_reviewed" : false,
    "github_reviewed_at" : null,
    "nvd_published_at" : "2023-02-23T20:15:00Z"
  }
}