Summary
Stored Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability in GeoServer's REST Resources API
Impact
If an attacker can control a script that is executed in the victim's browser, then they can typically fully compromise that user. Amongst other things, the attacker can:
1 .Perform any action within the application that the user can perform.
2. View any information that the user is able to view.
3. Modify any information that the user is able to modify.
4. Initiate interactions with other application users, including malicious attacks, that will appear to originate from the initial victim user.
Untrusted input is rendered as active markup in a victim's browser, which can run script in their session. Typical impact: session or credential theft, and actions taken as the user.
CVE-2023-51445 has a CVSS score of 4.8 (Medium). The vector is network-reachable, high privileges required, and user interaction required. 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 (2.23.3); upgrading removes the vulnerable code path.
Affected versions
Security releases
Kodem intelligence
Severity tells you how bad this could be in the worst case. It does not tell you whether you are exposed. Exploitability and impact are functions of runtime truth: whether the vulnerable code is present, reachable, and actually executes in your application. A vulnerable package can sit in your dependency tree and never run.
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. Kodem's runtime-powered SCA identifies whether this CVE is reachable in your applications.
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Frequently Asked Questions
- What is CVE-2023-51445? CVE-2023-51445 is a medium-severity cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in org.geoserver:gs-restconfig (maven), affecting versions < 2.23.3. It is fixed in 2.23.3. Untrusted input is rendered as active markup in a victim's browser, which can run script in their session.
- How severe is CVE-2023-51445? CVE-2023-51445 has a CVSS score of 4.8 (Medium). 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.
- Which versions of org.geoserver:gs-restconfig are affected by CVE-2023-51445? org.geoserver:gs-restconfig (maven) versions < 2.23.3 is affected.
- Is there a fix for CVE-2023-51445? Yes. CVE-2023-51445 is fixed in 2.23.3. Upgrade to this version or later.
- Is CVE-2023-51445 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2023-51445 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
- What actually determines whether CVE-2023-51445 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.
- How do I fix CVE-2023-51445? Upgrade
org.geoserver:gs-restconfigto 2.23.3 or later.