How severe is CVE-2023-23638?

CVE-2023-23638 has a CVSS score of 5/10, rated MEDIUM. Review your exposure and patch according to your risk tolerance.

Which packages are affected by CVE-2023-23638?

CVE-2023-23638 affects the following packages: org.apache.dubbo:dubbo (Maven), org.apache.dubbo:dubbo (Maven), org.apache.dubbo:dubbo (Maven). Ecosystems affected: Maven.

How do I fix CVE-2023-23638?

Update org.apache.dubbo:dubbo to 2.7.22 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms CVE-2023-23638 is resolved across your whole dependency graph.

How do I detect CVE-2023-23638 in my Maven dependencies?

Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for org.apache.dubbo:dubbo, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.

How do I mitigate CVE-2023-23638 if there is no patch (or I can't update yet)?

Do not deserialise data from untrusted sources: where the format allows it, restrict deserialisation to an explicit allowlist of expected types, and prefer a data-only format (JSON, Protobuf) over one that can reconstruct arbitrary objects until you can upgrade.

Is CVE-2023-23638 actively exploited in the wild?

Yes. There are 5 known exploit references for CVE-2023-23638, including 3 in-the-wild exploitations observed on GitHub and other sources. Treat this as actively exploitable and prioritize patching immediately. All exploit code should only be run in an isolated sandbox environment for research or authorized testing — never against production systems without explicit written authorization.

What is the EPSS score for CVE-2023-23638?

CVE-2023-23638 has an EPSS (Exploit Prediction Scoring System) score of 4.9%, placing it in the 92th percentile of all CVEs. EPSS is maintained by FIRST.org and estimates the probability that a vulnerability will be exploited in the wild within the next 30 days. This score indicates relatively lower exploitation probability, though the CVSS severity should still guide your patching priority.

What type of vulnerability is CVE-2023-23638?

CVE-2023-23638 is classified as Deserialization of Untrusted Data (CWE-502). This weakness type describe the underlying flaw category, which helps determine the potential impact and the right class of mitigation. This is a high-impact weakness class that often enables remote code execution or data exposure.

When was CVE-2023-23638 published, and has it been updated?

CVE-2023-23638 was published on March 8, 2023 and was last updated on October 28, 2026. Advisory data evolves as severity scores, affected ranges, and exploit intelligence are revised — always check the latest version of the advisory before acting.

☕

☕ Maven

Not in CISA KEV

MEDIUM severity

CVE-2023-23638 — dubbo

MEDIUM

CVE-2023-23638 is a medium-severity (CVSS 5) Deserialization of Untrusted Data vulnerability in org.apache.dubbo:dubbo. 5 public exploit or proof-of-concept references are indexed, so weaponization risk is real. A fix is available for org.apache.dubbo:dubbo — see the affected versions and patch details below.

Apache Dubbo Deserialization Vulnerability Gadgets Bypass

Also known asGHSA-933g-v89r-x8pf

Published

Mar 8, 2023

Updated

Oct 28, 2026

Affected

3 pkgs

Patched

3 / 3

Exploits

5 known

Exploitation data as of Nov 10, 2026 · OSV.dev, NVD, FIRST.org (EPSS)

Exploitation Status

No confirmed exploitation observed yet

CISA’s own triage has not observed active exploitation or public proof-of-concept code for this CVE as of its last assessment.

Exploitation and automatability from CISA’s SSVC triage for CVE-2023-23638.

EPSS Exploitation Probability

via FIRST.org ↗

4.9%probability of exploitation in next 30 days

Lower Risk0.00%

Lower risk than most CVEs92th percentile — riskier than 92% of all scored CVEsHighest risk

Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days, from FIRST.org EPSS.

How urgent is this, really

Where this sits among everything scored

Real-World Exposure

3 pkgs affected

☕org.apache.dubbo:dubbo☕org.apache.dubbo:dubbo☕org.apache.dubbo:dubbo

Real-time download stats are indexed for npm and PyPI packages. This vulnerability affects Maven packages — download data is not available via public APIs for these ecosystems.

Description

A deserialization vulnerability existed when dubbo generic invoke, which could lead to malicious code execution.

This issue affects Apache Dubbo 2.7.x version 2.7.21 and prior versions; Apache Dubbo 3.0.x version 3.0.13 and prior versions; Apache Dubbo 3.1.x version 3.1.5 and prior versions.

Affected Packages

3 total 3 fixed

Ecosystem	Package	Vulnerable range	Fix
☕Maven	`org.apache.dubbo:dubbo`	all versions	2.7.22`org.apache.dubbo:dubbo:2.7.22`
☕Maven	`org.apache.dubbo:dubbo`	≥ 3.0.0&&< 3.0.13	3.0.13`org.apache.dubbo:dubbo:3.0.13`
☕Maven	`org.apache.dubbo:dubbo`	≥ 3.1.0&&< 3.1.5	3.1.5`org.apache.dubbo:dubbo:3.1.5`

Affected Products

1 product · 3 configurations

Application

dubboapache

≥ 3.1.0 && ≤ 3.1.5

range

Exploits & PoCs

Research use only. For defensive security, authorized penetration testing, and academic research only. Never execute exploit code against systems without explicit written authorization.

A deserialization vulnerability existed when dubbo generic invoke, which…

github.comGithubMar 2023

Report on github.com

github.comGithubMay 2023

Report on github.com

github.comGithubMar 2023

Detection & mitigation playbook

Open-source dependency

Detect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for org.apache.dubbo:dubbo, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.
Fix
Update org.apache.dubbo:dubbo to 2.7.22 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms CVE-2023-23638 is resolved across your whole dependency graph.
Workarounds
Do not deserialise data from untrusted sources: where the format allows it, restrict deserialisation to an explicit allowlist of expected types, and prefer a data-only format (JSON, Protobuf) over one that can reconstruct arbitrary objects until you can upgrade.

Frequently Asked Questions

A deserialization vulnerability existed when dubbo generic invoke, which could lead to malicious code execution. This issue affects Apache Dubbo 2.7.x version 2.7.21 and prior versions; Apache Dubbo 3.0.x version 3.0.13 and prior versions; Apache Dubbo 3.1.x version 3.1.5 and prior versions.

O3 Security · Impact-Aware SCA

Is CVE-2023-23638 in your dependencies?

Find it across Maven, including transitive dependencies.

Scan my dependencies How O3 SCA works

CVSS Score

5/10CVSS v3 base

Vector breakdown

Attack Vector

Network

Attack Complexity

High

Privileges Required

Low

User Interaction

None

Scope

Unchanged

Confidentiality

Low

Integrity

Low

Availability

Low

Raw vector

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:L

CWE Classification

CWE-502Deserialization of Untrusted Data

Weaponization

No Nuclei template or Metasploit module yet. 5 public proof-of-concept references are listed on this page.

Timeline

Disclosed

Mar 8, 2023

First exploit

Mar 22, 2023

Last updated

Oct 28, 2026

Identifiers

CVE-2023-23638

GHSA-933g-v89r-x8pf

References

Advisorygithub.com · CVE 2023 23638.json Advisorylists.apache.org · 8h6zscfzj482z512d2v5ft63hdhzm0cb Advisorynvd.nist.gov · CVE 2023 23638

Related vulnerabilities

This CVE is medium severity; 8 of 8 other CVEs affecting dubbo are rated as high or higher (top: critical).

CVE-2023-29234CVE-2023-46279CVE-2022-39198CVE-2022-24969CVE-2021-30179CVE-2021-30180CVE-2021-25640CVE-2021-30181

Provenance

Sources

OSV.devNVDFIRST.org (EPSS)

Last verifiedOct 28, 2026