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QbittorrentApplication

CVE-2023-30801

CRITICAL · 9.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2023-10-10
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to after 4.5.5 or later.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable No privileges 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
All versions of the qBittorrent client through 4.5.5 use default credentials when the web user interface is enabled. The administrator is not forced to change the default credentials. As of 4.5.5, this issue has not been fixed. A remote attacker can use the default credentials to authenticate and execute arbitrary operating system commands using the "external program" feature in the web user interface. This was reportedly exploited in the wild in March 2023.

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

qBittorrent versions through 4.5.5 ship with default credentials for the web user interface that administrators are not forced to change. When the web UI is enabled, remote attackers can authenticate using these default credentials and abuse the 'external program' feature to execute arbitrary operating system commands with the privileges of the qBittorrent process.

MitigationImmediately change default web UI credentials to a strong, unique password, disable the web UI if not required, and implement network-level access controls to limit exposure.

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
QbittorrentApplication
Affected:<= 4.5.5

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
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 checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Verify qBittorrent version
    Run qbittorrent --version or check the application Help > About section to confirm the installed version number
    Affected if The installed version is 4.5.5 or any earlier version (any version through 4.5.5)
  2. Confirm web UI is enabled
    Check the qBittorrent settings under Tools > Options > Web UI, or inspect the qBittorrent configuration file for the WebUI\Enabled setting
    Affected if The web user interface is turned on and accessible over the network
  3. Identify web UI authentication status
    Review the Web UI settings to determine whether the default username and password are still in use, or check the configuration file for credential settings
    Affected if The default web UI credentials (admin/admin or similar factory default) have not been changed to a custom password
  4. Check external program feature configuration
    Inspect the Web UI settings or configuration file for any configured external program paths or commands (often found under Tools > Options > Web UI > External program or similar path)
    Affected if An external program is configured or if the feature is available and can be invoked through the web interface

A user is affected if they run qBittorrent version 4.5.5 or earlier with the web UI enabled and have not changed the default web UI credentials from the factory default.

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 a release after 4.5.5
Interim mitigation

Immediately change default web UI credentials to a strong, unique password, disable the web UI if not required, and implement network-level access controls to limit exposure.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence
  1. 1. Disable the qBittorrent Web UI if not actively needed
  2. 2. If Web UI is required, ensure it is NOT accessible from the internet - bind only to localhost (127.0.0.1) or a trusted internal network
  3. 3. Change the default Web UI password immediately if enabled - go to Tools > Options > Web UI and set a strong, unique password
  4. 4. Enable and configure IP filtering or firewall rules to restrict access to the Web UI port (usually 8080)
  5. 5. Consider using a VPN or SSH tunnel if remote access to Web UI is absolutely necessary
  6. 6. Monitor logs for unauthorized access attempts

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

Fix this in Qbittorrent Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation1.0 h
  • Implementation1.0 h
  • Testing1.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
4.0 hours of engineering $750
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $1,200.

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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-2023-30801 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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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