CVE-2023-38068
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 · uneditedIn JetBrains YouTrack before 2023.1.16597 captcha was not properly validated for Helpdesk forms
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 confidenceThis is an improper input validation vulnerability in JetBrains YouTrack's Helpdesk form captcha validation. The captcha check can be bypassed, allowing automated bot submissions to Helpdesk forms without solving the captcha challenge.
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< 2023.1.16597CVSS 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
- Low
- Availability
- Low
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:L
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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Locate YouTrack version numberLog into YouTrack as an administrator and navigate to Administration > System > Overview. The version number is displayed on this page. Alternatively, check the <youtrack_install>/logs folder for startup log files which contain the version.Affected if The version displayed is earlier than 2023.1.16597 (for example, 2023.1.16000 or any 2022.x version).
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Confirm Helpdesk module is activeIn YouTrack administration, navigate to Projects and verify if any Helpdesk project exists. The vulnerability exists in Helpdesk forms, so this module must be in use for the flaw to be relevant.Affected if A Helpdesk project type exists and is actively accepting form submissions.
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Verify captcha is enabled on Helpdesk formsNavigate to the Helpdesk project settings and inspect the form configuration. Look for captcha verification settings in the form builder or ticket request settings.Affected if Captcha verification is enabled on the Helpdesk submission form.
You are affected if your YouTrack version is earlier than 2023.1.16597 AND you have an active Helpdesk project with captcha protection that could be bypassed.
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 · scoped2023.1.16597
Upgrade YouTrack to version 2023.1.16597 or later to receive the captcha validation fix.
2023.1.16597
- 1. Back up your YouTrack database and configuration before proceeding with the upgrade
- 2. Download YouTrack version 2023.1.16597 or later from the official JetBrains website (www.jetbrains.com/youtrack/download)
- 3. Stop the YouTrack server
- 4. Install the new version following JetBrains upgrade instructions
- 5. Start the YouTrack server and verify the Helpdesk forms are functioning correctly
- 6. Verify the captcha validation is working properly in Helpdesk forms
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing4.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $3,328.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2023-38068 — 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-2023-38068 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
- No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data