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Actively exploited

CVE-2022-26138 Atlassian Questions For Confluence App Hard-coded Credentials Vulnerability

Atlassian Questions For Confluence App has hard-coded credentials, exposing the username and password in plaintext. A remote unauthenticated attacker can use these credentials to log into Confluence and access all content accessible to users in the confluence-users group.

From the CISA KEV catalogue version 2026.11.06, with Cybergen analysis. Updated 6 Nov 2026.

Our Assessment

Should You Worry?

Patch nowCybergen assessment
  • CISA confirmed exploitation in the wild and added it to the Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalogue on 29 Jul 2022.
  • Rated Critical severity (CVSS 9.8, scored by CISA).
  • This product type is often exposed to the internet, which is where attackers scan for it first.
  • It has been in the catalogue for 1,561 days. Systems still unpatched now have almost certainly been scanned for it.
The Vulnerability

What It Is

The Atlassian Questions For Confluence app for Confluence Server and Data Center creates a Confluence user account in the confluence-users group with the username disabledsystemuser and a hardcoded password. A remote, unauthenticated attacker with knowledge of the hardcoded password could exploit this to log into Confluence and access all content accessible to users in the confluence-users group. This user account is created when installing versions 2.7.34, 2.7.35, and 3.0.2 of the app.

Affected Versions

ProductVersions
Atlassian Questions For Confluence2.7.34
2.7.35
3.0.2

From the public CVE record, as supplied by the vendor. Always confirm against the vendor advisory.

From Watch to Action

What To Do Now

  1. 1

    Find it

    Search your asset inventory and external attack surface for Atlassian Confluence. Include cloud images, appliances and anything a supplier runs for you.

    Attack Surface Management
  2. 2

    Fix it

    Apply updates per vendor instructions.

    Vulnerability Management
  3. 3

    Hunt for compromise

    If an affected system was reachable before you patched, assume it may have been hit. Check logs, new accounts, web shells and outbound connections from the date of exposure.

    Incident Response
  4. 4

    Prove it is fixed

    Rescan or test the system after patching. Upgrades that fail silently and forgotten secondary instances are common.

    Penetration Testing

Vendor Advisories

Regulation

The Compliance Clock

Cyber EssentialsRated critical, so if it affects devices in your Cyber Essentials scope, the update must be installed within 14 days of the vendor releasing it.NIS2If exploitation causes a significant incident, essential and important entities owe their CSIRT an early warning within 24 hours and a notification within 72 hours.DORAFinancial entities must classify ICT incidents and send an initial notification for a major incident within strict deadlines, with exploited flaws a common cause.US federal (BOD 22-01)Federal civilian agencies had until 19 Aug 2022 to remediate. A sensible benchmark for everyone else.

General guidance, not legal advice. Your obligations depend on your sector, scope and jurisdiction.

Stay Ahead

More Exploited Atlassian Flaws

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CVE-2026-21589Atlassian Multiple Products Files or Directories Accessible to External Parties VulnerabilityAdded 15 Oct 2026CVE-2021-26086Atlassian Jira Server and Data Center Path Traversal VulnerabilityAdded 12 Nov 2024CVE-2023-22527 · RansomwareAtlassian Confluence Data Center and Server Template Injection VulnerabilityAdded 24 Jan 2024CVE-2023-22518 · RansomwareAtlassian Confluence Data Center and Server Improper Authorization VulnerabilityAdded 7 Nov 2023CVE-2023-22515 · RansomwareAtlassian Confluence Data Center and Server Broken Access Control VulnerabilityAdded 5 Oct 2023CVE-2022-36804Atlassian Bitbucket Server and Data Center Command Injection VulnerabilityAdded 30 Sep 2022

All 14 exploited Atlassian vulnerabilities

Not Sure If You Are Exposed?

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Evidence

Sources

  1. CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalogue
  2. NVD: CVE-2022-26138
  3. CVE record: CVE-2022-26138
  4. FIRST EPSS
  5. confluence.atlassian.com/doc/questions-for-confluence-security-advisory-2022-07-20-1142446709.html
  6. jira.atlassian.com/browse/CONFSERVER-79483
  7. confluence.atlassian.com/doc/confluence-security-advisory-2022-07-20-1142446709.html