CVE-2023-27283
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 · uneditedIBM Aspera Orchestrator 4.0.1 could allow a remote attacker to enumerate usernames due to observable response discrepancies. IBM X-Force ID: 248545.
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 confidenceIBM Aspera Orchestrator 4.0.1 contains a username enumeration vulnerability where the application returns different responses (e.g., distinct error messages, timing differences, or HTTP status codes) for valid versus invalid usernames during authentication. This allows remote attackers to discover valid user accounts by observing these observable response discrepancies.
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= 4.0.1CVSS 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
- Low
- Privileges
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- Low
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/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 IBM Aspera Orchestrator versionAccess the product's web interface or check the application version through the admin panel, About section, or API endpoint that returns version information. Alternatively, check the installation directory or version file if accessible.Affected if The installed version is exactly 4.0.1
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Locate the authentication endpointIdentify the login or authentication URL endpoint for IBM Aspera Orchestrator (typically /login, /auth, or similar paths under the application root). This is often the endpoint that handles user authentication requests.Affected if The authentication endpoint is publicly or internally accessible over HTTP/HTTPS
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Test response for invalid usernameSend a POST request to the authentication endpoint with a clearly invalid username (e.g., a username that does not exist) and any password. Record the HTTP status code, error message text, and response time.Affected if A response is received that indicates the username does not exist or returns different error handling than a valid username
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Test response for valid usernameSend a POST request to the authentication endpoint with a known valid username (obtained from the system or guessed) and an incorrect password. Record the HTTP status code, error message text, and response time.Affected if The response for the valid username differs from the invalid username response in message content, HTTP status code, or timing
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Compare authentication responsesCompare the responses from both tests. Check if the application returns distinct error messages (e.g., 'User not found' vs 'Invalid password'), different HTTP status codes, or measurable timing differences between valid and invalid username attempts.Affected if The application returns measurably different responses that allow distinguishing between valid and invalid usernames
You are affected if IBM Aspera Orchestrator version 4.0.1 is installed AND the authentication endpoint returns distinguishable responses (different error messages, HTTP codes, or timing) for valid versus invalid usernames.
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 dataImplement uniform error responses and consistent timing for all authentication attempts regardless of username validity. Return generic error messages like 'Invalid credentials' for both invalid username and invalid password scenarios.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing2.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2023-27283 — 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-2023-27283 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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