dbcve.org
Robohelp ServerApplication · Adobe

CVE-2023-22273

HIGH · 7.2 CVSS v3.1 Published 2023-11-17
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to after 11.4 or later.
See remediation →
78/100
Remediation priority · High
Remotely reachable Zero-click

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 · unedited
Adobe RoboHelp Server versions 11.4 and earlier are affected by an Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal') vulnerability that could lead to Remote Code Execution by an admin authenticated attacker. Exploitation of this issue does not require user interaction.

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 confidence

Adobe RoboHelp Server versions 11.4 and earlier contain a path traversal vulnerability that allows an authenticated administrator to escape restricted directories and achieve remote code execution without any user interaction.

MitigationApply the vendor security patch or upgrade Adobe RoboHelp Server to a version beyond 11.4 that addresses the path traversal vulnerability.

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
Robohelp ServerApplication
Affected:<= 11.4

CVSS 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
High
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

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

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 checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Confirm Adobe RoboHelp Server is installed
    Look for the Adobe RoboHelp Server installation directory, typically under C:\Program Files\Adobe\ or C:\Program Files (x86)\Adobe\ on Windows, or /opt/adobe/robohelp-server/ on Linux. Check for the presence of RoboHelp Server executables and configuration files.
    Affected if The product is not installed or only RoboHelp (non-Server) variants are present.
  2. Locate the version file or executable
    Navigate to the Adobe RoboHelp Server installation directory. The version is often displayed in a README.txt, version.ini, or can be obtained by running the server executable with a version flag. Check for files like version.txt, about.html in the server's web interface, or right-click the executable and view Properties > Details.
    Affected if No version information can be located in the expected installation paths.
  3. Compare installed version to affected range
    Identify the exact version number (for example, 11.4, 11.3, 11.0, 10.0, etc.). Compare it against the affected range: any version 11.4 or lower is vulnerable.
    Affected if The installed version is 11.4 or any version number lower than 11.4 (such as 11.3.1, 11.0, 10.x).
  4. Verify administrator access exists
    Review server access controls and user accounts. Determine if any administrator-level account exists in the RoboHelp Server system. Check the user management configuration file or the admin console for defined administrator roles.
    Affected if An authenticated administrator account exists on the system, as the vulnerability requires this privilege level to exploit the path traversal.

A user is affected if Adobe RoboHelp Server is installed with a version numbered 11.4 or lower and an administrator account is present on the system.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

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 · scoped
Upgrade available Upgrade to a release after 11.4
Interim mitigation

Apply the vendor security patch or upgrade Adobe RoboHelp Server to a version beyond 11.4 that addresses the path traversal vulnerability.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Adobe RoboHelp Server 11.5 or later (latest available version)

  1. 1. Check the current Adobe RoboHelp Server version by accessing the server's admin interface or checking the installed software.
  2. 2. Navigate to the Adobe RoboHelp Server download or support page on helpx.adobe.com to obtain the latest version.
  3. 3. Before upgrading, review Adobe's release notes and security bulletin for version 11.5 or later to confirm the CVE-2023-22273 fix is included.
  4. 4. Perform a full backup of the RoboHelp Server database, configuration files, and project data.
  5. 5. Test the upgrade in a non-production environment to verify compatibility with existing projects and integrations.
  6. 6. Apply the upgrade following Adobe's standard installation and migration procedures.
  7. 7. After upgrading, verify that the admin authentication is still required for exploitation and that path traversal restrictions are properly enforced.
Caveat Review release notes for any configuration or feature changes between 11.4 and the target version before upgrading in production

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Robohelp Server Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation6.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
15.0 hours of engineering $2,640
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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2023-22273 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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What this is

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.

What belongs here
  • 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