CVE-2023-29381
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 · uneditedAn issue in Zimbra Collaboration (ZCS) v.8.8.15 and v.9.0 allows a remote attacker to escalate privileges and obtain sensitive information via the password and 2FA parameters.
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 confidenceZimbra Collaboration Suite versions 8.8.15 and 9.0 contain a critical authentication flaw where a remote attacker can manipulate password and 2FA parameters to escalate privileges and access sensitive information. The vulnerability enables unauthorized access by bypassing or manipulating the authentication mechanism.
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= 8.8.15= 9.0.0CVSS 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
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/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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Identify installed ZCS versionRun 'zmcontrol -v' or 'zimbractl -v' from the Zimbra server command line to retrieve the exact Zimbra Collaboration Suite version numberAffected if The version displayed is exactly 8.8.15 or exactly 9.0.0 (note the '=' in the affected version range indicates these exact versions)
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Verify authentication module configurationCheck the Zimbra authentication configuration by examining /opt/zimbra/jetty/webapps/zimbra/WEB-INF/web.xml or running 'zmprov getConfig zimbraAuthEnabled' to confirm authentication mechanisms are properly configuredAffected if Authentication is enabled but the version is vulnerable (8.8.15 or 9.0.0)
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Review admin console access logsExamine Zimbra access logs in /opt/zimbra/log/audit.log and /opt/zimbra/log/zmsetup.log for unusual authentication patterns, failed login attempts, or privilege escalation indicators around password and 2FA operationsAffected if Logs show authentication anomalies or unauthorized privilege escalation attempts in the affected version
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Check 2FA configuration settingsRun 'zmprov getAccount <account> zimbraTwoFactorAuthEnabled' on selected accounts or check /opt/zimbra/conf/localconfig.xml for two-factor authentication enforcement settingsAffected if 2FA is configured on systems running the affected versions and may be bypassed
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Audit admin accounts and delegated admin rolesReview admin accounts via 'zmprov -l gaaa' and check /opt/zimbra/conf/attrs/ldapattrs.xml for any unexpected privilege grants or role modifications that could indicate exploitationAffected if Unexpected admin accounts or privilege modifications exist on vulnerable versions
A system is affected if it runs exactly ZCS version 8.8.15 or exactly 9.0.0 and relies on password-based or 2FA authentication, as these versions contain the authentication bypass flaw.
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 dataApply vendor-supplied patches or upgrade to a fixed ZCS version that addresses this authentication/authorization flaw; verify that both password-based and 2FA authentication flows properly enforce access controls post-patch.
- Consultation8.0 h
- Implementation12.0 h
- Testing10.0 h
- Review / QA6.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $10,144.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2023-29381 — 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-2023-29381 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
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