Threats / Atlassian / CVE-2023-22515
CVE-2023-22515
· EUVD no mirror located
· GCVE no mirror located
Verified 2026-06-22
Atlassian Confluence Data Center and Server vulnerability
Atlassian Confluence Data Center and Server contains a broken access control vulnerability allowing attackers to create unauthorized administrator accounts and gain full system access.
Verdict
Today item, not a backlog item.
A critical authentication bypass in Confluence enables unauthenticated account creation with administrative privileges. The high EPSS score and active exploitation in ransomware campaigns indicate immediate exploitation risk across unpatched deployments.
CISA KEV Yes · 2023-10-053Ransomware use Flagged3EPSS 0.99699 (verify live)4Exploit Weaponized · public PoC5
01
Is it exploitable?
— the evidence, ranked above the scoreExploit available
Fully weaponized — public exploit code is cataloged for this vulnerability.We link the existence of the exploit; we do not host or redistribute payloads.
Reported exploitation
874 independent public reports of in-the-wild exploitation are cataloged.Distinct reporting sources (vendor, incident response, government); open them for the underlying claims.
Exploited in the wild
Listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog (added 2023-10-05), flagged for known ransomware use.
Probability (EPSS)
EPSS 0.99699 — modeled likelihood of exploitation activity.EPSS is a daily-changing model output — open the source for today's value.
Severity / affected
Affected: Atlassian, Confluence Data Center and Server. Confirm exact fixed builds in the vendor advisory.
02
Who’s exploiting it?
— attribution turns risk into urgencyAttribution not established
No confirmed (advisory-backed) threat-actor attribution is established for this record. Absence of a named actor is not absence of compromise — see Coverage & confidence.
03
Why it matters
— the attack path, told twice: adversary, then board1
Front door — unauthenticated access narrative 1
Attacker
I exploit the broken access control to bypass authentication checks and create a new administrator account without credentials.
Business
Attackers gain unrestricted administrative access to the Confluence instance, enabling data theft, system manipulation, and lateral movement.
2
Keys to the kingdom — privilege/identity takeover narrative 2
Attacker
I use the newly created admin account to access sensitive documentation, configuration data, and user information stored in Confluence.
Business
Confidential business information, intellectual property, and employee data are exposed to unauthorized parties.
3
Lateral reach — past segmentation narrative 3
Attacker
I modify or delete critical content, disable security controls, and establish persistence mechanisms for continued access.
Business
Operational disruption occurs as teams lose access to essential documentation and collaboration tools.
4
Data at risk — exfiltration narrative 4
Attacker
I deploy ransomware or exfiltration tools across the compromised Confluence infrastructure and connected networks.
Business
The organization faces data encryption, extortion demands, regulatory penalties, and reputational damage from ransomware deployment.
04
What to do
— defensible action- Remediate per the vendor advisory — confirm the fixed build for your version and verify exposure.1
Say it to the boardA vulnerability with this evidence profile is a defensible budget line, not a backlog ticket — fund the change against the proof above.
05
Coverage & confidence
— what we know, and what we don’tEstablished (cited)
Coverage gaps — stated, not hidden
Disclosure & credit2
Catalogued by atlassianCNA
Credited with finding itan Atlassian customerunspecified