+44 1865 950 828 Secure Your Business
Actively exploitedKnown ransomware use

CVE-2023-22518 Atlassian Confluence Data Center and Server Improper Authorization Vulnerability

Atlassian Confluence Data Center and Server contain an improper authorization vulnerability that can result in significant data loss when exploited by an unauthenticated attacker. There is no impact on confidentiality since the attacker cannot exfiltrate any data.

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 7 Nov 2023.
  • CISA lists it as known to be used in ransomware campaigns.
  • Rated Critical severity (CVSS 10.0, scored by Vendor).
  • This product type is often exposed to the internet, which is where attackers scan for it first.
  • It has been in the catalogue for 1,095 days. Systems still unpatched now have almost certainly been scanned for it.
The Vulnerability

What It Is

All versions of Confluence Data Center and Server are affected by this unexploited vulnerability. This Improper Authorization vulnerability allows an unauthenticated attacker to reset Confluence and create a Confluence instance administrator account. Using this account, an attacker can then perform all administrative actions that are available to Confluence instance administrator leading to - but not limited to - full loss of confidentiality, integrity and availability.  Atlassian Cloud sites are not affected by this vulnerability. If your Confluence site is accessed via an atlassian.net domain, it is hosted by Atlassian and is not vulnerable to this issue.

Affected Versions

ProductVersions
Atlassian Confluence Data Center>= 1.0.0
Atlassian Confluence Server>= 1.0.0

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 Data Center and Server. Include cloud images, appliances and anything a supplier runs for you.

    Attack Surface Management
  2. 2

    Fix it

    Apply mitigations per vendor instructions or discontinue use of the product if mitigations are unavailable.

    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 28 Nov 2023 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

Get alerts for AtlassianWe email you when a new Atlassian vulnerability is confirmed as exploited. Add more vendors on Threat Watch.

By signing up you agree to receive Threat Watch alerts. Unsubscribe at any time. See our Privacy Policy.

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-2023-22515 · 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 2022CVE-2022-26138Atlassian Questions For Confluence App Hard-coded Credentials VulnerabilityAdded 29 Jul 2022

All 14 exploited Atlassian vulnerabilities

Not Sure If You Are Exposed?

Our attack surface and vulnerability teams can check your internet-facing estate for CVE-2023-22518 and every other exploited flaw on the list.

Check My Exposure
Evidence

Sources

  1. CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalogue
  2. NVD: CVE-2023-22518
  3. CVE record: CVE-2023-22518
  4. FIRST EPSS
  5. confluence.atlassian.com/security/cve-2023-22518-improper-authorization-vulnerability-in-confluence-
  6. confluence.atlassian.com/pages/viewpage.action?pageId=1311473907
  7. jira.atlassian.com/browse/CONFSERVER-93142
  8. packetstormsecurity.com/files/176264/Atlassian-Confluence-Improper-Authorization-Code-Execution.html