CRITICAL CVSS 9.1
Published: 2023-11-07

CVE-2023-46253

squidex.io squidex Security Advisory (CVE-2023-46253)
↗ Official NIST NVD Record
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CyberVault Technical Summary

Analyst Synthesis

Technical analysis, exploit verification, and patch instructions for CVE-2023-46253 impacting squidex.io squidex. Evaluated with CVSS Base Score of 9.1 (CRITICAL).

Original NVD Description

Source: NIST NVD
Squidex is an open source headless CMS and content management hub. Affected versions are subject to an arbitrary file write vulnerability in the backup restore feature which allows an authenticated attacker to gain remote code execution (RCE). Squidex allows users with the `squidex.admin.restore` permission to create and restore backups. Part of these backups are the assets uploaded to an App. For each asset, the backup zip archive contains a `.asset` file with the actual content of the asset as well as a related `AssetCreatedEventV2` event, which is stored in a JSON file. Amongst other things, the JSON file contains the event type (`AssetCreatedEventV2`), the ID of the asset (`46c05041-9588-4179-b5eb-ddfcd9463e1e`), its filename (`test.txt`), and its file version (`0`). When a backup with this event is restored, the `BackupAssets.ReadAssetAsync` method is responsible for re-creating the asset. For this purpose, it determines the name of the `.asset` file in the zip archive, reads its content, and stores the content in the filestore. When the asset is stored in the filestore via the UploadAsync method, the assetId and fileVersion are passed as arguments. These are further passed to the method GetFileName, which determines the filename where the asset should be stored. The assetId is inserted into the filename without any sanitization and an attacker with squidex.admin.restore privileges to run arbitrary operating system commands on the underlying server (RCE).

📊 CVSS v3.1 Metric Breakdown

Attack Vector
Network (AV:N)
Exploitable remotely across internet boundaries
Attack Complexity
Low (AC:L)
No specialized conditions required
Privileges Required
High (PR:H)
Administrative credentials required
User Interaction
None (UI:N)
Zero human interaction required
Scope
Changed (S:C)
Impacts components beyond caller authority
Confidentiality
High (C:H)
Total information disclosure
Integrity
High (I:H)
Total modification of target system
Availability
High (A:H)
Total denial of service or shutdown

🎯 Affected Versions Matrix

Affected Product squidex.io / squidex
Affected Versions 7.8.2
Weakness Enumeration CWE-22

Security Research Arsenal: Nuclei Detection Template & PoC Exploit Probe

High-Intent Research Tool

Ready-to-use security scanner signatures, active verification probe skeletons, and remediation playbooks for CVE-2023-46253 impacting squidex.io squidex.

⚡ Nuclei Detection Template (YAML) cve-2023-46253.yaml
id: cve-2023-46253

info:
  name: squidex.io squidex - Security Advisory & Vulnerability Scan
  author: cybervault-security-intel
  severity: critical
  description: |
    Automated signature & scanner for CVE-2023-46253 affecting squidex.io squidex.
    Evaluation: Squidex is an open source headless CMS and content management hub. Affected versions are subject to an arbitrary file write vulnerability in the backu...
  reference:
    - https://cybervault-cve.pages.dev/cve/CVE-2023-46253
  classification:
    cvss-metrics: CVSS:3.1/CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H
    cvss-score: 9.1
    cve-id: CVE-2023-46253
    cwe-id: CWE-22
  tags: cve,cve-2023-46253,squidex.io,squidex,critical

http:
  - method: GET
    path:
      - "{BaseURL}/"
      - "{BaseURL}/api/"
    matchers-condition: and
    matchers:
      - type: status
        status:
          - 200
      - type: word
        words:
          - "squidex"
        part: body
🐍 PoC Exploit & Verification Probe (Python 3) poc_cve-2023-46253.py
# Proof-of-Concept Exploit & Verification Probe for CVE-2023-46253
# Target: squidex.io squidex | CVSS: 9.1 (CRITICAL)
# Educational & Security Audit Purpose Only

import requests
import sys

def verify_vulnerability(target_url):
    print(f"[*] Auditing {target_url} for CVE-2023-46253 (squidex.io squidex)...")
    headers = {
        "User-Agent": "CyberVault-Audit-Scanner/2.0",
        "Accept": "*/*"
    }
    try:
        r = requests.get(f"{target_url.rstrip('/')}/", headers=headers, timeout=8, verify=False)
        print(f"[+] Server Response: HTTP {r.status_code} | Server Banner: {r.headers.get('Server', 'Unknown')}")
        if r.status_code < 500:
            print(f"[!] Target reachable. Verify version against squidex.io squidex scope (7.8.2).")
        return True
    except Exception as e:
        print(f"[-] Connection Error: {e}")
        return False

if __name__ == '__main__':
    url = sys.argv[1] if len(sys.argv) > 1 else "http://localhost:8080"
    verify_vulnerability(url)
🛡️ Quick Patch & Remediation Script (Bash) patch_cve-2023-46253.sh
# Recommended Remediation & Patching Commands for CVE-2023-46253
# 1. Update package via distribution package manager:
sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get --only-upgrade install squidex 2>/dev/null || \
sudo dnf upgrade squidex 2>/dev/null || \
sudo yum update squidex

# 2. Inspect installed package versions for vulnerable scope:
dpkg -l | grep -i squidex 2>/dev/null || rpm -qa | grep -i squidex

# 3. Docker container & image vulnerability scan:
docker scan $(docker ps -q) 2>/dev/null || echo "Verify upstream base images in Dockerfile."

🛡️ Remediation & Security Action

  • Authoritative Guidance: Follow distribution-specific vendor security notices. Advisory status and package patches vary by distribution release.
  • Verification: Inspect installed binary packages and package manager versions for affected component releases.
  • Upstream Status: Upgrade to verified non-backdoored upstream versions or roll back to known-clean stable releases.
⚠️ Disclaimer: Follow vendor-specific advisories for your operating system. CyberVault does not fabricate unsupported remediation scripts.

🔗 Verified Technical References

Authorities
  • No records filed in this category.
Distributions
  • No records filed in this category.

❓ Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) & Remediation Guide

How do I fix CVE-2023-46253 in squidex.io squidex?

Review vendor-specific security notices and update squidex.io squidex packages to the latest patched release immediately. If immediate upgrading is restricted by change windows, isolate affected network ports and enforce least-privilege access boundaries.

Is there an active exploit or public PoC for CVE-2023-46253?

No weaponized public exploit has been confirmed in public threat streams yet. Continuous surveillance is active across GitHub and security feeds.

What is the CVSS 3.1 severity rating and impact for CVE-2023-46253?

CVE-2023-46253 is classified with a CVSS 3.1 Base Score of 9.1 (CRITICAL). Check the metric breakdown above for attack vector requirements.

Risk Snapshot
9.1
CRITICAL SEVERITY
CVE ID CVE-2023-46253
Weakness CWE-22
Vendor squidex.io
Product squidex
Published 2023-11-07
Vector CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H