CVE-2023-46128

Workarounds

Upgrading to v2.0.3 or later, or applying the above patch, is the preferred workaround for this issue; while it could also be partially mitigated by updating permissions to deny user access to the above list of impacted REST API endpoints, that is not recommended as other endpoints may also expose this issue until patched.

References

https://github.com/nautobot/nautobot/pull/4692

In Nautobot 2.0.x, certain REST API endpoints, in combination with the ?depth=<N> query parameter, can expose hashed user passwords as stored in the database to any authenticated user with access to these endpoints.

The passwords are not exposed in plaintext.
Nautobot 1.x is not affected by this vulnerability.

Example:

GET /api/users/permissions/?depth=1

HTTP 200 OK
API-Version: 2.0
Allow: GET, POST, PUT, PATCH, DELETE, HEAD, OPTIONS
Content-Type: application/json
Vary: Accept

{
    "count": 1,
    "next": null,
    "previous": null,
    "results": [
        {
            "id": "28ea85e4-5039-4389-94f1-9a3e1c787149",
            "object_type": "users.objectpermission",
            "display": "Run Job",
            "url": "http://localhost:8080/api/users/permissions/28ea85e4-5039-4389-94f1-9a3e1c787149/",
            "natural_slug": "run-job_28ea",
            "object_types": [
                "extras.job"
            ],
            "name": "Run Job",
            "description": "",
            "enabled": true,
            "actions": [
                "run",
                "view"
            ],
            "constraints": null,
            "groups": [
                {
                    "id": 1,
                    "object_type": "auth.group",
                    "display": "A Group",
                    "url": "http://localhost:8080/api/users/groups/1/",
                    "natural_slug": "a-group_1",
                    "name": "A Group"
                }
            ],
            "users": [
                {
                    "id": "e73288e2-1326-4bfb-8fea-041290dd7473",
                    "object_type": "users.user",
                    "display": "admin",
                    "url": "http://localhost:8080/api/users/users/e73288e2-1326-4bfb-8fea-041290dd7473/",
                    "natural_slug": "admin_e732",
                    "password": "pbkdf2_sha256$260000$jQb7hA48HYJ0MLWQgOZiBl$b72+gz6SpZiRpxceRQfT5Zv/aUac0eJ4NdBTZ8ECOow=",
                    "last_login": "2023-10-18T14:19:08.780857Z",
                    "is_superuser": true,
                    "username": "admin",
                    "first_name": "",
                    "last_name": "",
                    "email": "",
                    "is_staff": true,
                    "is_active": true,
                    "date_joined": "2023-10-18T14:18:55.854023Z",
                    "config_data": {}
                }
            ]
        }
    ]
}

Note the "password" field present in the nested "users" data.

This information is not exposed during direct access to the /api/users/users/ endpoint, but can be exposed through any endpoint which contains a nested reference to User object(s) when an appropriate ?depth=<N> query parameter is specified. Known impacted endpoints include:

• /api/dcim/rack-reservations/?depth=1(or any greater depth value)
• /api/extras/job-results/?depth=1 (or any greater depth value)
• /api/extras/notes/?depth=1 (or any greater depth value)
• /api/extras/object-changes/?depth=1 (or any greater depth value)
• /api/extras/scheduled-jobs/?depth=1 (or any greater depth value)
• /api/users/permissions/?depth=1 (or any greater depth value)

but this is not necessarily an exhaustive list.

Plugin REST API endpoints for any models with a foreign key to the User model may also be impacted by this issue.

The patch identified below mitigates the issue for both Nautobot core REST APIs and plugin REST APIs; no code change in plugins is required to address this issue.

CVE-2023-46128 has a CVSS score of 7.7 (High). The vector is network-reachable, low privileges required, and no user interaction. A CVSS score reflects the worst-case severity of the vulnerability, not your specific exposure. Whether this affects your application depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable in your environment. A fixed version is available (2.0.3); upgrading removes the vulnerable code path.

Kodem intelligence

Refer to https://github.com/nautobot/nautobot/pull/4692 for the patch that resolved this issue.

1. What is CVE-2023-46128? CVE-2023-46128 is a high-severity security vulnerability in nautobot (pip), affecting versions >= 2.0.0, < 2.0.3. It is fixed in 2.0.3.
2. How severe is CVE-2023-46128? CVE-2023-46128 has a CVSS score of 7.7 (High). This score reflects the worst-case severity of the vulnerability, not your specific exposure. Whether it represents real risk in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable.
3. Which versions of nautobot are affected by CVE-2023-46128? nautobot (pip) versions >= 2.0.0, < 2.0.3 is affected.
4. Is there a fix for CVE-2023-46128? Yes. CVE-2023-46128 is fixed in 2.0.3. Upgrade to this version or later.
5. Is CVE-2023-46128 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2023-46128 is exploitable in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable. A CVSS score is a worst-case rating; it does not account for your specific deployment, configuration, or usage patterns. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to show which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so you can focus on the ones that represent real risk. Get a demo
6. What actually determines whether CVE-2023-46128 is exploitable, and how bad it is? Exploitability and impact are not fixed properties of a CVE. They depend on runtime truth: whether the vulnerable code is present, reachable, and actually executes in your application. A high CVSS score on a dependency that never runs is not the same as real risk. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to reveal which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so teams prioritize the ones that genuinely matter.
7. How do I fix CVE-2023-46128? Upgrade nautobot to 2.0.3 or later.