CVE-2023-38209: Magento/community edition Remote Code Execution Vulnerability

MODERATE
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-3vg2-v639-6ch9
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CVSS 6.5
CWE-863
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2023-38209 is a MODERATE (CVSS 6.5) remote code execution vulnerability (CWE-863: Incorrect Authorization) affecting Magento/community edition libraries in the Packagist ecosystem. The issue involves magento open source allows incorrect authorization. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 2.4.6-p2, 2.4.5-p4, 2.4.4-p5.

CVE-2023-38209 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2023-38209
GHSA Identifier GHSA-3vg2-v639-6ch9
Severity MODERATE
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 6.5
CWE Classification CWE-863: Incorrect Authorization
Affected Product Magento/community edition
Package Ecosystem Packagist
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:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N).

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

How to Fix CVE-2023-38209

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-2023-38209, 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-863: Incorrect Authorization, where the product performs an authorization check when an actor attempts to access a resource or perform an action, but it does not correctly perform the check. 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 Incorrect Authorization vulnerability that could lead to a Security feature bypass. A low-privileged attacker could leverage this vulnerability to access other user's data. Exploitation of this issue does not require user interaction.

CVE-2023-38209 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-2023-38209 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-38209
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-2023-38209?
CVE-2023-38209 is a security vulnerability in Magento/community edition involving Magento Open Source allows Incorrect Authorization under CWE-863: Incorrect Authorization.
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-2023-38209?
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-2023-38209?
CVE-2023-38209 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 6.5 (MODERATE) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2023-38209?
CVE-2023-38209 is classified under CWE-863: Incorrect Authorization (The product performs an authorization check when an actor attempts to access a resource or perform an action, but it does not correctly perform the check.).
How can I check Packagist dependencies for CVE-2023-38209?
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-3vg2-v639-6ch9",
  "modified" : "2025-03-04T18:18:59Z",
  "published" : "2023-08-09T09:30:33Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2023-38209" ],
  "summary" : "Magento Open Source allows Incorrect Authorization ",
  "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 Incorrect Authorization vulnerability that could lead to a Security feature bypass. A low-privileged attacker could leverage this vulnerability to access other user's data. Exploitation of this issue does not require user interaction.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N"
  }, {
    "type" : "CVSS_V4",
    "score" : "CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:N/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/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-2023-38209"
  }, {
    "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-863" ],
    "severity" : "MODERATE",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2025-03-04T18:18:59Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2023-08-09T08:15:09Z"
  }
}