CVE-2023-26462
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 · uneditedThingsBoard 3.4.1 could allow a remote attacker to gain elevated privileges because hard-coded service credentials (usable for privilege escalation) are stored in an insecure format. (To read this stored data, the attacker needs access to the application server or its source code.)
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 confidenceThingsBoard 3.4.1 contains hard-coded service credentials stored in an insecure format (likely plaintext or weak encryption) within the source code or application server files. An attacker with access to the server filesystem or source code can retrieve these credentials and use them for privilege escalation to gain elevated administrative access.
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= 3.4.1CVSS 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
- High
- Privileges
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Confirm ThingsBoard versionLocate the ThingsBoard installation directory and check the version. Common methods include examining the JAR/WAR file properties, checking a VERSION file in the installation directory, or querying the application via its API or administrative interface.Affected if The installed version is exactly 3.4.1 (the only affected version listed).
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Search source code for hardcoded credentialsIf you have access to the ThingsBoard source code or unpacked application files, search the codebase for hardcoded password strings, API keys, or secret keys. Use grep or similar tools to search for patterns like 'password=', 'secret=', 'credential=', 'apiKey=', and Base64-encoded strings that may decode to credentials.Affected if Any hardcoded service credentials, plaintext passwords, or weakly encrypted secrets are found in source files or application server files.
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Inspect configuration filesExamine ThingsBoard configuration files (such as application.yml, application.properties, or similar) in the installation directory for embedded credentials, database passwords, integration secrets, or service account keys that are stored directly in the configuration rather than referenced from environment variables or a secrets manager.Affected if Credentials are stored directly in configuration files instead of being externalized or referenced securely.
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Check application server deployment filesReview deployment descriptors, WAR exploded directories, or application server configuration files (such as context.xml, server.xml for Tomcat, or equivalent for other servers) for hardcoded credentials used for internal services, message queues, or database connections.Affected if Service credentials for message brokers, databases, or other backend services are hardcoded in application server configuration files.
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Audit for default or embedded administrative credentialsSearch the codebase for default administrative credentials, service account tokens, or embedded OAuth/API keys that provide administrative or elevated access to the ThingsBoard platform.Affected if Default administrative credentials, service tokens, or API keys granting elevated access are found embedded in the code or configuration.
A user is affected if they are running ThingsBoard version 3.4.1 and hardcoded credentials exist in their source code, configuration files, or application server deployment files.
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.
From vendor dataRemove all hard-coded credentials from the codebase, implement a proper secret management solution (e.g., HashiCorp Vault, environment variables, encrypted configuration), and rotate any exposed service credentials immediately.
- Consultation6.0 h
- Implementation12.0 h
- Testing6.0 h
- Review / QA4.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2023-26462 — 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-2023-26462 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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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