CVE-2023-51982 is a critical-severity (CVSS 9.8) Improper Authentication vulnerability in io.crate:crate. 1 public exploit or proof-of-concept reference is indexed, so weaponization risk is real. A fix is available for io.crate:crate — see the affected versions and patch details below.
CrateDB authentication bypass 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.
- CISA assesses this as automatable — exploitation doesn’t require manual, per-target effort, which raises the odds of mass scanning and opportunistic attacks.
- 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-2023-51982.
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
io.crate:crate☕io.crate:crate☕io.crate:crate☕io.crate:crateReal-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
CrateDB 5.5.1 is contains an authentication bypass vulnerability in the Admin UI component. After configuring password authentication and_ Local_ In the case of an address, identity authentication can be bypassed by setting the X-Real IP request header to a specific value and accessing the Admin UI directly using the default user identity.(https://github.com/crate/crate/issues/15231)
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| ☕Maven | io.crate:crate | all versions | 5.2.11io.crate:crate:5.2.11 |
| ☕Maven | io.crate:crate | ≥ 5.3.0&&< 5.3.8 | 5.3.8io.crate:crate:5.3.8 |
| ☕Maven | io.crate:crate | ≥ 5.4.0&&< 5.4.7 | 5.4.7io.crate:crate:5.4.7 |
| ☕Maven | io.crate:crate | ≥ 5.5.0&&< 5.5.2 | 5.5.2io.crate:crate:5.5.2 |
Affected Products
cratedbcratedbResearch 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 io.crate:crate, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.
Fix
Update io.crate:crate to 5.2.11 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms CVE-2023-51982 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-2023-51982 in your dependencies?
Find it across Maven, including transitive dependencies.