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Actively exploited in the wild. This CVE is on the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities list — treat remediation as urgent. Federal remediation due by 9 Aug 2023. Known ransomware use
Netscaler Application Delivery ControllerApplication · Citrix

CVE-2023-3519

CRITICAL · 9.8 CVSS v3.1 Developing Published 2023-07-19
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 12.1-55.297 / 13.0-91.13 or later.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
In the wild Ransomware High EPSS Public exploit 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
Unauthenticated remote code execution

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 · low confidence

Critical unauthenticated remote code execution vulnerability in Citrix NetScaler ADC and Citrix Gateway (formerly Citrix ADC). Attackers can execute arbitrary code on affected devices without any authentication, allowing full system compromise.

MitigationApply the vendor-provided security patches immediately. In the interim, disable the nsppe process or restrict access to the management interface via firewall rules.

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
Netscaler Application Delivery ControllerApplication
Affected:>= 12.1, < 12.1-55.297>= 13.0, < 13.0-91.13>= 13.1, < 13.1-37.159>= 13.1, < 13.1-49.13
Netscaler GatewayApplication
Affected:>= 13.0, < 13.0-91.13>= 13.1, < 13.1-49.13

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. Identify Netscaler product type
    Log into the Netscaler command line or web interface and determine if the product is NetScaler ADC or NetScaler Gateway. Run 'show version' or check the system information page.
    Affected if The system is running either Citrix Netscaler ADC or Gateway product types.
  2. Check installed Netscaler version
    Execute 'show version' via CLI or check the build number in the web interface under System > Information. Note the full version string including build number.
    Affected if The installed version falls within these ranges: 12.1 before 12.1-55.297; 13.0 before 13.0-91.13; 13.1 before 13.1-37.159; 13.1 before 13.1-49.13.
  3. Verify management interface accessibility
    Check if the Netscaler management interface (NSIP-based web UI on port 80/443 or ntp.conf) is exposed to untrusted networks. Review firewall rules and access control lists.
    Affected if The management interface is reachable from untrusted or internet-facing networks without proper network segmentation.
  4. Verify Gateway service exposure
    Check if the NetScaler Gateway service (VPN portal, SSL VPN) is exposed externally. Review the enabled VIPs and their bound IP addresses.
    Affected if NetScaler Gateway is accessible from untrusted networks, as the vulnerability affects unauthenticated remote code execution.
  5. Review authentication configuration
    Check the authentication server settings and whether the default or weak authentication methods are in use. Run 'show aaa' or review AAA configuration.
    Affected if The system is configured with authentication that could be bypassed or is using default configurations.

A system is affected if it runs a vulnerable Netscaler ADC or Gateway version (12.1 before 55.297, 13.0 before 91.13, or 13.1 before 37.159/49.13) AND has its management or Gateway interface accessible from untrusted networks.

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 12.1-55.297 / 13.0-91.13 / 13.1-37.159 or later
Fixed in 12.1-55.29713.0-91.1313.1-37.159
Interim mitigation

Apply the vendor-provided security patches immediately. In the interim, disable the nsppe process or restrict access to the management interface via firewall rules.

Recommended fix High confidence

12.1-55.297 (12.1 branch), 13.0-91.13 (13.0 branch), or 13.1-49.13 (13.1 branch)

  1. Identify the current NetScaler ADC or Gateway version by checking /ns version or the GUI System Information page
  2. Determine which release branch is in use: 12.1, 13.0, or 13.1
  3. For 12.1 branch: upgrade to version 12.1-55.297 or later
  4. For 13.0 branch: upgrade to version 13.0-91.13 or later
  5. For 13.1 branch: upgrade to version 13.1-49.13 or later
  6. After upgrade, verify successful installation by confirming the new version under System Information
  7. Apply any relevant configuration backup before upgrade and restore if needed after
Caveat Review Citrix release notes for breaking changes in the target version; standard upgrade precautions apply (backup configuration, plan maintenance window)

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

Fix this in Netscaler Application Delivery Controller Exploited in the wild — priority engagement
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA4.0 h
22.0 hours of engineering $3,860
Get it fixed fast

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $6,176.

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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-2023-3519 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