CVE-2023-23838
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 · uneditedDirectory traversal and file enumeration vulnerability which allowed users to enumerate to different folders of the server.
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 · moderate confidenceA directory traversal and file enumeration vulnerability in the web application allowed attackers to use path traversal sequences (e.g., '../') to access folders outside the intended web root, potentially exposing sensitive server directory structures and files.
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< 2023.2CVSS 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
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/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.
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Identify the installed Solarwinds DPA versionLocate the installed version of Solarwinds Database Performance Analyzer using the product's built-in version information (typically available in the About section of the web interface, or via the installer/upgrade files on the server)Affected if The installed version is earlier than 2023.2 (any version shown as 2023.1.x, 2022.x, or earlier indicates the vulnerable version)
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Confirm the DPA web application is runningCheck if the Solarwinds DPA web interface service is active and accessible - verify the web application responds to HTTP/HTTPS requests on the configured portAffected if The web application is running and accessible, making the path traversal vulnerability potentially exploitable
Your environment is affected if Solarwinds Database Performance Analyzer version is earlier than 2023.2 and the web interface is accessible.
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 · scoped2023.2
Implement strict input validation and path sanitization for all user-supplied file paths; use allow-listing approaches and ensure path normalization removes traversal sequences before accessing files.
2023.2
- 1. Back up the current Database Performance Analyzer configuration and database.
- 2. Download Database Performance Analyzer version 2023.2 or later from the official Solarwinds download portal.
- 3. Stop the Database Performance Analyzer service before upgrading.
- 4. Run the installer for version 2023.2.
- 5. Follow the on-screen upgrade prompts, preserving existing configuration settings.
- 6. Start the Database Performance Analyzer service after upgrade completes.
- 7. Verify the installation and test that the path traversal vulnerability is remediated.
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation3.0 h
- Implementation6.0 h
- Testing4.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2023-23838 — 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-2023-23838 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
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- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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