CVE-2023-34246 is a medium-severity (CVSS 4.2) Improper Authentication vulnerability in doorkeeper. 1 public exploit or proof-of-concept reference is indexed, so weaponization risk is real. A fix is available for doorkeeper — see the affected versions and patch details below.
Doorkeeper Improper Authentication vulnerability
Exploitation Status
Proof-of-concept exploit code exists
- CISA’s SSVC triage found public proof-of-concept exploit code for this CVE, though no confirmed active exploitation.
- A successful exploit gives an attacker total control of the affected component, not partial access.
Exploitation and automatability from CISA’s SSVC triage for CVE-2023-34246.
EPSS Exploitation Probability
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
doorkeeperReal-time download stats are indexed for npm and PyPI packages. This vulnerability affects RubyGems packages — download data is not available via public APIs for these ecosystems.
Description
OAuth RFC 8252 says https://www.rfc-editor.org/rfc/rfc8252#section-8.6
the authorization server SHOULD NOT process authorization requests automatically without user consent or interaction, except when the identity of the client can be assured. This includes the case where the user has previously approved an authorization request for a given client id
But Doorkeeper automatically processes authorization requests without user consent for public clients that have been previously approved. Public clients are inherently vulnerable to impersonation, their identity cannot be assured.
Issue https://github.com/doorkeeper-gem/doorkeeper/issues/1589
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| 💎RubyGems | doorkeeper | all versions | 5.6.6bundle update doorkeeper --conservative |
Affected Products
doorkeeperdoorkeeper_projectResearch use only. For defensive security, authorized penetration testing, and academic research only. Never execute exploit code against systems without explicit written authorization.
Detection & mitigation playbook
Open-source dependencyDetect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for doorkeeper, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.
Fix
Update doorkeeper to 5.6.6 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms CVE-2023-34246 is resolved across your whole dependency graph.
Workarounds
Put an independent control in front of the weakness: restrict the affected endpoint or interface to trusted networks, require an additional authentication factor or proxy-level check, and invalidate existing sessions and credentials in case the flaw has already been used.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is CVE-2023-34246 in your dependencies?
Find it across RubyGems, including transitive dependencies.