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OtrsApplication

CVE-2023-2534

HIGH · 8.1 CVSS v3.1 Published 2023-05-08
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 8.0.32 or later.
See remediation →
87/100
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
Improper Authorization vulnerability in OTRS AG OTRS 8 (Websocket API backend) allows any as Agent authenticated attacker to track user behaviour and to gain live insight into overall system usage. User IDs can easily be correlated with real names e. g. via ticket histories by any user. (Fuzzing for garnering other adjacent user/sensitive data). Subscribing to all possible push events could also lead to performance implications on the server side, depending on the size of the installation and the number of active users. (Flooding)This issue affects OTRS: from 8.0.X before 8.0.32.

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

Improper authorization in OTRS 8 WebSocket API allows any authenticated Agent to subscribe to all push events, enabling tracking of other users' behavior, correlation of User IDs with real names via ticket histories, and potential server performance degradation through event flooding.

MitigationUpgrade to OTRS 8.0.32 or later which contains the authorization fix. Alternatively, implement WebSocket event subscription controls to restrict users to only receive events relevant to their permissions.

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
OtrsApplication
Affected:>= 8.0.0, < 8.0.32

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

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/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. Verify OTRS 8 installation version
    Access the Admin panel or check the OTRS version file (VERSION or Kernel/Config.pm) to determine the exact installed version
    Affected if The installed version is 8.0.0 through 8.0.31 (versions prior to 8.0.32)
  2. Confirm WebSocket API is enabled
    Inspect the OTRS SysConfig settings under WebSocket or Core::WebApp section to verify if the WebSocket interface is turned on
    Affected if WebSocket support is enabled in the system configuration
  3. Verify Agent authentication is active
    Confirm that Agent authentication is configured and functional in SysConfig under Core::Auth
    Affected if Agent authentication is permitted (the flaw affects any authenticated Agent)
  4. Check for unrestricted event subscription exposure
    Review WebSocket configuration for any subscription control settings; the vulnerability exists if no per-agent event filtering is configured
    Affected if WebSocket allows Agents to subscribe to all push events without permission checks

You are affected if OTRS 8 version 8.0.0-8.0.31 is installed AND the WebSocket API feature is enabled, allowing any authenticated Agent to subscribe to all push events.

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 8.0.32 or later
Fixed in 8.0.32
Interim mitigation

Upgrade to OTRS 8.0.32 or later which contains the authorization fix. Alternatively, implement WebSocket event subscription controls to restrict users to only receive events relevant to their permissions.

Recommended fix High confidence

8.0.32

  1. 1. Back up your current OTRS installation and database before proceeding with any upgrade.
  2. 2. Upgrade OTRS from your current version (< 8.0.32) to version 8.0.32 or later.
  3. 3. After upgrading, verify that the WebSocket API backend properly enforces authorization for push events.
  4. 4. Test that users can only subscribe to events they are authorized to access.
  5. 5. Monitor system performance to ensure the fix properly limits event subscriptions.

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

Fix this in Otrs Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation16.0 h
  • Testing8.0 h
  • Review / QA4.0 h
32.0 hours of engineering $5,600
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $8,960.

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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-2023-2534 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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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