CVE-2023-4451 is a medium-severity (CVSS 6.1) Cross-site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability in cockpit-hq/cockpit. 1 public exploit or proof-of-concept reference is indexed, so weaponization risk is real. The records list no fixed version yet; check the vendor advisory below and apply the mitigations in the meantime.
Cross-site Scripting (XSS) - Reflected in cockpit-hq/cockpit
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.
Exploitation and automatability from CISA’s SSVC triage for CVE-2023-4451.
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
cockpit-hq/cockpitReal-time download stats are indexed for npm and PyPI packages. This vulnerability affects Packagist packages — download data is not available via public APIs for these ecosystems.
Description
Cross-site Scripting (XSS) - Reflected in GitHub repository cockpit-hq/cockpit version 2.6.3 and prior. A patch is available at commit 30609466c817e39f9de1871559603e93cd4d0d0c and anticipated to be part of version 2.6.4.
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🐘Packagist | cockpit-hq/cockpit | all versions | No fix |
Affected Products
cockpitagentejoResearch 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 cockpit-hq/cockpit, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.
Remediation status
The records we use list no patched version of cockpit-hq/cockpit for CVE-2023-4451. Check the maintainer's advisory, and where your build allows, override or pin the dependency away from the vulnerable range.
Mitigate without a patch
Escape or sanitise the affected output on the server side rather than relying on client-side filtering, and add a Content-Security-Policy that blocks inline script execution so injected markup cannot run even if it reaches the page.
How to detect CVE-2023-4451
A community-maintained Nuclei template exists for this CVE. You can scan for it directly:
nuclei -id cve-2023-4451 -u https://target- Template
- Cockpit - Cross-Site Scripting
- Severity
- medium
- Impact
- Unauthenticated attackers can inject malicious JavaScript through the space parameter in the installation interface to steal administrator credentials during Cockpit CMS setup.
- Remediation
- Update Cockpit to version 2.6.4 or later that properly sanitizes and encodes the space parameter in the install/index.php interface.
Template by ProjectDiscovery nuclei-templates (iamnoooob, pdresearch), MIT licensed. View the full template. Scan only systems you are authorised to test.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is CVE-2023-4451 in your dependencies?
Find it across Packagist, including transitive dependencies.