CVE-2023-2121
Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.
NVD · uneditedVault and Vault Enterprise's (Vault) key-value v2 (kv-v2) diff viewer allowed HTML injection into the Vault web UI through key values. This vulnerability, CVE-2023-2121, is fixed in Vault 1.14.0, 1.13.3, 1.12.7, and 1.11.11.
Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.
dbcve analysis · high confidenceThe Vault kv-v2 diff viewer fails to properly sanitize HTML in key values before rendering them in the web UI, allowing authenticated users to inject arbitrary HTML/JavaScript through crafted key values in the diff viewer.
Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.
Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.
NVD · CPE data< 1.11.11>= 1.12.0, < 1.12.7>= 1.13.0, < 1.13.3CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.
From the vector- Attack vector
- Network
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges
- Low
- User interaction
- Required
- Scope
- Changed
- Confidentiality
- Low
- Integrity
- Low
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N
Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.
dbcve checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
-
Check installed Vault versionRun `vault version` command on the server or check the version displayed in the Vault UI footerAffected if Version is < 1.11.11, OR >= 1.12.0 and < 1.12.7, OR >= 1.13.0 and < 1.13.3
-
Identify enabled kv secret enginesRun `vault secrets list` and examine the output for paths with type 'kv' and options showing version=2Affected if A kv-v2 secret engine is enabled (version 2)
-
Confirm UI access to diff viewerVerify the Vault UI is enabled and accessible at the /ui/ endpoint for authenticated usersAffected if Vault UI is enabled and users can authenticate to access the kv-v2 diff viewer
Your environment is affected if Vault version is within the vulnerable ranges AND kv-v2 secret engine is enabled AND authenticated users can access the web UI diff viewer.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.
dbcve · scoped1.11.111.12.71.13.3
Upgrade Vault to version 1.14.0, 1.13.3, 1.12.7, or 1.11.11 or later to patch the HTML injection vulnerability in the kv-v2 diff viewer.
Vault 1.14.0 (latest stable) or branch-appropriate fixed version (1.11.11, 1.12.7, 1.13.3)
- 1. Identify current Vault version by running `vault version`
- 2. Determine appropriate upgrade target based on current version: if on 1.11.x upgrade to 1.11.11, if on 1.12.x upgrade to 1.12.7, if on 1.13.x upgrade to 1.13.3, or upgrade to latest 1.14.x
- 3. Review Vault upgrade documentation and release notes for your specific upgrade path
- 4. Create a backup of Vault data according to backup procedures
- 5. Test the upgrade in a non-production environment first
- 6. Upgrade Vault to the appropriate fixed version (1.14.0, 1.13.3, 1.12.7, or 1.11.11)
- 7. Verify the upgrade was successful and Vault is operational
- 8. Test the kv-v2 diff viewer in the web UI to confirm the XSS vulnerability is fixed
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation3.0 h
- Testing2.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $2,272.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2023-2121 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2023-2121 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.
A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.
- Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
- No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
- No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data