CVE-2023-32060
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 · uneditedDHIS2 Core contains the service layer and Web API for DHIS2, an information system for data capture. Starting in the 2.35 branch and prior to versions 2.36.13, 2.37.8, 2.38.2, and 2.39.0, when the Category Option Combination Sharing settings are configured to control access to specific tracker program events or program stages, the `/trackedEntityInstances` and `/events` API endpoints may include all events regardless of the sharing settings applied to the category option combinations. When this specific configuration is present, users may have access to events which they should not be able to see based on the sharing settings of the category options. The events will not appear in the user interface for web-based Tracker Capture or Capture applications, but if the Android Capture App is used they will be displayed to the user. Versions 2.36.13, 2.37.8, 2.38.2, and 2.39.0 contain a fix for this issue. No workaround is known.
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 confidenceDHIS2 Core has an authorization bypass in the `/trackedEntityInstances` and `/events` API endpoints. When Category Option Combination Sharing settings are configured to control access to tracker program events or program stages, the API returns all events regardless of the sharing settings, allowing unauthorized access to events that should be restricted. The web UI correctly enforces these restrictions, but the Android Capture App also displays the unauthorized events.
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>= 2.35.0, < 2.36.13>= 2.37.0, < 2.37.8>= 2.38.0, < 2.38.2CVSS 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
- None
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/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 DHIS2 versionQuery the DHIS2 API endpoint /api/system/info or /api/version to retrieve the installed version numberAffected if The version falls within one of these ranges: >= 2.35.0 and < 2.36.13, >= 2.37.0 and < 2.37.8, or >= 2.38.0 and < 2.38.2
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Verify Category Option Combination Sharing is configuredNavigate to the DHIS2 Administration > Category Option Combinations section and inspect whether any Category Option Combinations have sharing settings (sharing column) configured for tracker programs or program stagesAffected if Category Option Combination Sharing settings exist and are set to restrict access to certain events or tracked entity instances
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Test /events API for authorization bypassUsing an API client, make a GET request to /api/events without sufficient permissions or using a low-privilege user account, then compare the returned events against what that user should legitimately see based on sharing restrictionsAffected if The API returns events that the user should not have access to according to the Category Option Combination Sharing settings, or returns more events than the UI displays for the same user
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Test /trackedEntityInstances API for authorization bypassUsing an API client, make a GET request to /api/trackedEntityInstances without sufficient permissions, then verify if the response includes tracked entity instances that should be restricted by sharing settingsAffected if The API returns tracked entity instances that the user should not access based on the configured sharing restrictions
If DHIS2 version is within the affected ranges AND Category Option Combination Sharing is configured, the instance is likely vulnerable to unauthorized event access via the API endpoints.
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.
dbcve · scoped2.36.132.37.82.38.2
Upgrade DHIS2 to version 2.36.13, 2.37.8, 2.38.2, or 2.39.0 or later. No workaround is available.
2.36.13 (for 2.35.x) or 2.37.8 (for 2.37.x) or 2.38.2 (for 2.38.x) or 2.39.0 (latest stable)
- 1. Identify the current DHIS2 version by checking the system info or configuration
- 2. Determine which release branch the current version belongs to (2.35.x, 2.37.x, or 2.38.x)
- 3. For systems on 2.35.x branch: upgrade to version 2.36.13 or later
- 4. For systems on 2.37.x branch: upgrade to version 2.37.8 or later
- 5. For systems on 2.38.x branch: upgrade to version 2.38.2 or later
- 6. After upgrade, verify that Category Option Combination Sharing settings properly restrict access via the /trackedEntityInstances and /events API endpoints
- 7. Test with Android Capture App to confirm events are now correctly filtered based on sharing settings
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing8.0 h
- Review / QA4.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2023-32060 — 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-2023-32060 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
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- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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