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Threats / Joomla! / CVE-2023-23752
CVE-2023-23752 · EUVD no mirror located · GCVE no mirror located Verified 2026-06-07

Joomla! vulnerability

Joomla! contains an improper access control vulnerability allowing unauthorized access to webservice endpoints, enabling attackers to bypass authentication controls.

Verdict

Today item — known-exploited.

An access control flaw in Joomla! webservice endpoints permits unauthenticated or unauthorized users to access restricted functionality. Active exploitation in the wild demonstrates immediate risk to unpatched instances.

CISA KEV Yes · 2024-01-083EPSS 0.94522 (verify live)4
01

Is it exploitable?

— the evidence, ranked above the score
Exploited in the wild
Listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog (added 2024-01-08).
CISA KEV ↗Confirmed
Probability (EPSS)
EPSS 0.94522 — modeled likelihood of exploitation activity.EPSS is a daily-changing model output — open the source for today's value.
FIRST EPSS ↗High
Severity / affected
Affected: Joomla!, Joomla!. Confirm exact fixed builds in the vendor advisory.
NVD ↗Reported
Weakness (CWE)
Mapped to CWE-284 Improper Access Control — weakness family: Authorization / access control.CWE assignment from the public NVD record; the weakness class drives how the flaw is exploited.
NVD ↗Reported
WeaknessCWE-284 · Improper Access ControlAuthorization / access control
02

Who’s exploiting it?

— attribution turns risk into urgency
Attribution not established

No threat-actor attribution is established from the public feed 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 board
1

Front door — unauthenticated access narrative 1

Attacker
I discover the webservice endpoint lacks proper access controls and can be reached without valid credentials.
Business
Attackers gain entry to sensitive API functionality without authentication, creating a direct path to system compromise.
2

Keys to the kingdom — privilege/identity takeover narrative 2

Attacker
I enumerate available webservice methods and parameters to identify what data or operations are exposed.
Business
Sensitive business logic, user data, or configuration information becomes accessible to threat actors.
3

Lateral reach — past segmentation narrative 3

Attacker
I execute unauthorized operations through the webservice to modify content, extract data, or escalate privileges.
Business
Confidentiality, integrity, and availability of the Joomla! installation are compromised without detection barriers.
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’t

Established (cited)

  • KEV listing (CISA)
  • EPSS probability (FIRST)
  • CWE weakness mapping (NVD)
  • Catalogued by Joomla (CNA)
  • Named finder/reporter credit (CVE.org)

    • Coverage gaps — stated, not hidden

  • No EUVD / GCVE mirror in feed — single-authority dependency for the identifier.
  • EPSS & exposure are time-varying; verify live at the source.
  • Threat-actor attribution not established from feed data — absence of a name is not absence of compromise.
    • Disclosure & credit2
    Catalogued by JoomlaCNA
    Credited with finding itZewei Zhang from NSFOCUS TIANJI Labfinder