CVE-2023-23752
CVE-2023-23752 is a security flaw in Joomla!. Attackers can reach parts of Joomla! that should be locked to them. The US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) added it to its catalog of flaws known to be used in attacks on 8 Jan 2024.[1]
Joomla! is business software or equipment. Most families won’t have it, but attackers break into it to get inside companies, and from there to what those companies hold about their customers, patients and staff. Joomla! has published a fix or advice.
Description
CISA calls it an improper access control in Joomla! Joomla!. In its words: “Joomla! contains an improper access control vulnerability that allows unauthorized access to webservice endpoints.”[1]
The underlying weakness is improper access control (CWE-284), in MITRE’s list of common software weaknesses.[2]
It scores 5.3 out of 10 on the Common Vulnerability Scoring System, which rates it medium, scored by NVD using CVSS 3.1.[2]
Affected versions
NVD’s record doesn’t list version ranges for it; Joomla!’s advisory has them[3]. CISA names the product as Joomla! Joomla!.
Most families won’t have Joomla!; it’s for whoever looks after IT at work.
Exploitation
CISA added it to its catalog of known exploited vulnerabilities on 8 Jan 2024, 326 days after it was made public. CISA lists a flaw only when it has reliable evidence of it being exploited, and gave US federal agencies until 29 Jan 2024 to fix it.[1]
FIRST’s Exploit Prediction Scoring System, which estimates how likely a flaw is to be used in attacks in the next 30 days from what it sees across the internet, puts it at over 99%. That’s in the top 1% of the flaws it scores.[4]
CISA assesses it as automatable: attackers can run it against many targets at once.
CISA doesn’t say who was attacked, or how.
Fix
Joomla! has published a fix or advice.[3] CISA’s required action: “Apply mitigations per vendor instructions or discontinue use of the product if mitigations are unavailable.”[1]
- Check whether you use it.Joomla! is business software or equipment, so most families won’t have it. If you run a business, or work from home on company equipment, ask whoever looks after your IT.
- Send this page to your IT person.Ask them to confirm it’s fixed, or not in use. CISA gave US government agencies until 29 Jan 2024 to fix it.
- If it can’t be fixed, take it offline.CISA’s advice when there’s no fix is to stop using the product, or take it off the internet, until there is one.
You can’t fix someone else’s server, but you can watch for what follows a break-in like this: a breach notice, a password reset you didn’t ask for, or a scam message that knows things it shouldn’t. HARD watches for those for you and your family.
Timeline
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| The flaw is made public in the National Vulnerability Database, with a severity score of 5.3.[2] | |
| CISA adds it to its catalog of flaws known to be used in attacks.[1] | |
| CISA’s deadline for US government agencies to fix it.[1] | |
| FIRST puts the odds of it being used in attacks in the next 30 days at over 99%.[4] |
See also
Other improper access control flaws
- CVE-2015-3306, ProFTPD: improper access control ·
- CVE-2026-21962, Oracle HTTP Server and Oracle Weblogic Server Proxy Plug-in: improper access control ·
- CVE-2026-56290, Joomlack Page Builder: improper access control ·
- CVE-2026-34908, Ubiquiti UniFi OS: improper access control ·
- CVE-2026-48907, Widget Factory Joomla Content Editor: improper access control ·
Added the same day
- CVE-2023-41990, Apple devices: code execution ·
- CVE-2023-38203, Adobe ColdFusion: deserialization of untrusted data ·
- CVE-2023-29300, Adobe ColdFusion: deserialization of untrusted data ·
- CVE-2023-27524, Apache Superset: insecure default initialization of resource ·
- CVE-2016-20017, D-Link DSL-2750B Devices: command injection ·
References
- ^ Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency. “Joomla! Improper Access Control Vulnerability”. Known Exploited Vulnerabilities Catalog, added 8 Jan 2024.
- ^ National Institute of Standards and Technology. “CVE-2023-23752 Detail”. National Vulnerability Database, published 16 Feb 2023.
- ^ Joomla!. Advisories and fixes: developer.joomla.org.
- ^ FIRST. “Exploit Prediction Scoring System”. EPSS 0.998, percentile 100.0, 31 Oct 2026.
- CVE Program. “CVE-2023-23752”. The official CVE record.
This article is built from CISA’s catalog (version 2026.10.30), NVD’s record and FIRST’s scores, kept in HARD’s database and checked every morning. The plain English is HARD’s.