CVE-2023-38208: Magento/community edition Remote Code Execution Vulnerability

HIGH
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-mxc9-g6m4-2v35
Share
CVSS 9.1
CWE-78
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2023-38208 is a HIGH (CVSS 9.1) remote code execution vulnerability (CWE-78: Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an OS Command ('OS Command Injection')) affecting Magento/community edition libraries in the Packagist ecosystem. The issue involves magento open source allows improper neutralization of special elements used. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 2.4.6-p2, 2.4.5-p4, 2.4.4-p5.

CVE-2023-38208 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2023-38208
GHSA Identifier GHSA-mxc9-g6m4-2v35
Severity HIGH
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 9.1
CWE Classification CWE-78: Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an OS Command ('OS Command Injection')
Affected Product Magento/community edition
Package Ecosystem Packagist
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 9.1

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

Attack Vector Network (AV:N)
Attack Complexity Low (AC:L)
Privileges Required High (PR:H)
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-2023-38208

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

magento/community-edition fixed: Latest secure release 
Upgrade magento/community-edition to Latest secure release
magento/community-edition fixed: Latest secure release 
Upgrade magento/community-edition to Latest secure release
magento/community-edition fixed: Latest secure release 
Upgrade magento/community-edition to Latest secure release
magento/community-edition fixed: 2.4.6-p2 
Upgrade magento/community-edition to 2.4.6-p2
magento/community-edition fixed: 2.4.5-p4 
Upgrade magento/community-edition to 2.4.5-p4
magento/community-edition fixed: 2.4.4-p5 
Upgrade magento/community-edition to 2.4.4-p5
magento/project-community-edition fixed: Latest secure release 
Upgrade magento/project-community-edition to Latest secure release
Verify Direct and Transitive Dependencies

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

inspect dependencies for magento/community-edition

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your application is affected by CVE-2023-38208, inspect your project dependencies for Magento/community edition:

inspect dependencies for magento/community-edition

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Magento/community edition in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 2.4.6-p2), your application is affected.

Note: Verify declared build manifests and deployed runtime container environments.

Technical Details

Vulnerability Mechanism & Technical Analysis

This vulnerability is classified under CWE-78: Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an OS Command ('OS Command Injection'), where the product constructs all or part of an os command using externally-influenced input from an upstream component, but it does not neutralize or incorrectly neutralizes special elements that could modify the intended os command when it is sent to a downstream component. In Magento/community edition, 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

Adobe Commerce versions 2.4.6-p1 (and earlier), 2.4.5-p3 (and earlier) and 2.4.4-p4 (and earlier) are affected by an Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an OS Command ('OS Command Injection') vulnerability that could lead to arbitrary code execution by an admin-privilege authenticated attacker. Exploitation of this issue does not require user interaction.

CVE-2023-38208 Affected Magento/community edition Versions

7 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
2.4.6-p22.4.5-p42.4.4-p5
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
magento/community-edition
 Packagist
2.4.6
All 1 versions
2.4.6
None specified
magento/community-edition
 Packagist
2.4.5
All 1 versions
2.4.5
None specified
magento/community-edition
 Packagist
2.4.4
All 1 versions
2.4.4
None specified
magento/community-edition
 Packagist
≥ 2.4.6-p1
< 2.4.6-p2
All 1 versions
2.4.6-p1
2.4.6-p2
magento/community-edition
 Packagist
≥ 2.4.5-p1
< 2.4.5-p4
2.4.5-p4
magento/community-edition
 Packagist
≥ 2.4.4-p1
< 2.4.4-p5
2.4.4-p5
magento/project-community-edition
 Packagist
≤ 2.0.2

References

NVD — CVE-2023-38208 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-38208
Magento/community edition Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/magento/magento2
Magento/community edition Security Information SECURITY
https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/magento/apsb23-42.html

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2023-38208?
CVE-2023-38208 is a security vulnerability in Magento/community edition involving Magento Open Source allows Improper Neutralization of Special Elements Used under CWE-78: Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an OS Command ('OS Command Injection').
Which Magento/community edition versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 2.4.6-p2, 2.4.5-p4, 2.4.4-p5 across affected packages: magento/community-edition, magento/project-community-edition.
What version fixes CVE-2023-38208?
Upgrading to 2.4.6-p2, 2.4.5-p4, 2.4.4-p5 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is magento/community-edition affected?
Yes, magento/community-edition is affected in releases prior to Latest secure release, 2.4.6-p2, 2.4.5-p4, 2.4.4-p5. Upgrade your dependency to Latest secure release, 2.4.6-p2, 2.4.5-p4, 2.4.4-p5 or later.
Is magento/project-community-edition affected?
Yes, magento/project-community-edition is affected in releases prior to Latest secure release. Upgrade your dependency to Latest secure release or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2023-38208?
CVE-2023-38208 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 9.1 (HIGH) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2023-38208?
CVE-2023-38208 is classified under CWE-78: Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an OS Command ('OS Command Injection') (The product constructs all or part of an OS command using externally-influenced input from an upstream component, but it does not neutralize or incorrectly neutralizes special elements that could modify the intended OS command when it is sent to a downstream component.).
How can I check Packagist dependencies for CVE-2023-38208?
Run the dependency tree command: 'inspect dependencies for magento/community-edition'. 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-mxc9-g6m4-2v35",
  "modified" : "2025-03-04T18:18:38Z",
  "published" : "2023-08-09T09:30:33Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2023-38208" ],
  "summary" : "Magento Open Source allows Improper Neutralization of Special Elements Used",
  "details" : "Adobe Commerce versions 2.4.6-p1 (and earlier), 2.4.5-p3 (and earlier) and 2.4.4-p4 (and earlier) are affected by an Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an OS Command ('OS Command Injection') vulnerability that could lead to arbitrary code execution by an admin-privilege authenticated attacker. Exploitation of this issue does not require user interaction.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H"
  }, {
    "type" : "CVSS_V4",
    "score" : "CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:H/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:H/SI:H/SA:H/E:U"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Packagist",
      "name" : "magento/community-edition"
    },
    "versions" : [ "2.4.6" ]
  }, {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Packagist",
      "name" : "magento/community-edition"
    },
    "versions" : [ "2.4.5" ]
  }, {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Packagist",
      "name" : "magento/community-edition"
    },
    "versions" : [ "2.4.4" ]
  }, {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Packagist",
      "name" : "magento/community-edition"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "2.4.6-p1"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "2.4.6-p2"
      } ]
    } ],
    "versions" : [ "2.4.6-p1" ]
  }, {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Packagist",
      "name" : "magento/community-edition"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "2.4.5-p1"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "2.4.5-p4"
      } ]
    } ]
  }, {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Packagist",
      "name" : "magento/community-edition"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "2.4.4-p1"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "2.4.4-p5"
      } ]
    } ]
  }, {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Packagist",
      "name" : "magento/project-community-edition"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "last_affected" : "2.0.2"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-38208"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/magento/magento2"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/magento/apsb23-42.html"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-78" ],
    "severity" : "HIGH",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2025-03-04T18:18:38Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2023-08-09T08:15:09Z"
  }
}