dbcve.org
CommerceApplication · Adobe

CVE-2023-38221

MEDIUM · 6.6 CVSS v3.1 Published 2023-10-13
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
72/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
Remotely reachable 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
Adobe Commerce versions 2.4.7-beta1 (and earlier), 2.4.6-p2 (and earlier), 2.4.5-p4 (and earlier) and 2.4.4-p5 (and earlier) are affected by an Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an SQL Command ('SQL Injection') vulnerability that could lead in arbitrary code execution by an admin-privilege authenticated attacker. Exploitation of this issue does not require user interaction and attack complexity is high as it requires knowledge of tooling beyond just using the UI.

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

SQL injection vulnerability in Adobe Commerce (Magento) allowing admin-privileged authenticated users to execute arbitrary code through improper neutralization of SQL special elements. Exploitation requires no user interaction but demands high technical knowledge of tooling beyond the UI.

MitigationApply Adobe's official security patches or upgrade to the latest patched versions of Adobe Commerce. Additionally, implement strict input validation and use parameterized queries as defense-in-depth.

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
CommerceApplication
Affected:= 2.3.7= 2.4.0= 2.4.1= 2.4.2= 2.4.3= 2.4.4= 2.4.5= 2.4.6= 2.4.7
MagentoCMS
Affected:= 2.4.4= 2.4.5= 2.4.6= 2.4.7

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
High
Privileges
High
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:H/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 installed Adobe Commerce or Magento version
    Check the app/etc/env.php file for the version entry, or run the CLI command: bin/magento --version. Alternatively, check the composer.json file in the root directory for the magento/product-community-edition or magento/product-enterprise-edition version number.
    Affected if The installed version matches 2.3.7, 2.4.0, 2.4.1, 2.4.2, 2.4.3, 2.4.4, 2.4.5, 2.4.6, or 2.4.7 for Adobe Commerce; or 2.4.4, 2.4.5, 2.4.6, or 2.4.7 for Adobe Magento.
  2. Confirm admin panel accessibility
    Verify whether the /admin or /backend path is accessible from the network. Check your web server configuration and firewall rules to determine if the admin panel is exposed externally.
    Affected if The admin panel is reachable without network restrictions, increasing the attack surface for authenticated exploitation.
  3. Audit admin user accounts
    Query the admin_user table in the database to list all admin accounts: SELECT user_id, username, email, is_active FROM admin_user. Verify the number of active admin accounts and their credentials.
    Affected if Active admin accounts exist in the system, as exploitation requires an authenticated admin user.
  4. Review admin session security settings
    Check the admin/security/session_lifetime and admin/security/admin_account_sharing configuration values in the admin panel under Stores > Configuration > Advanced > Admin, or in app/etc/env.php.
    Affected if Admin session settings allow prolonged or shareable sessions, which could aid an attacker in maintaining access.

You are affected if your Adobe Commerce or Magento installation matches any of the listed vulnerable versions and has an accessible admin panel with active user accounts, allowing a privileged authenticated attacker to exploit the SQL injection.

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
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Apply Adobe's official security patches or upgrade to the latest patched versions of Adobe Commerce. Additionally, implement strict input validation and use parameterized queries as defense-in-depth.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Adobe Commerce/Magento 2.4.7-p1 (or latest 2.4.7 patch)

  1. 1. Identify your current Adobe Commerce/Magento version using the command: bin/magento --version
  2. 2. Back up your entire Magento installation including database, files, and configurations
  3. 3. For Adobe Commerce 2.4.4: Upgrade to patch 2.4.4-p6 or later, or upgrade to 2.4.7
  4. 4. For Adobe Commerce 2.4.5: Upgrade to patch 2.4.5-p5 or later, or upgrade to 2.4.7
  5. 5. For Adobe Commerce 2.4.6: Upgrade to patch 2.4.6-p3 or later, or upgrade to 2.4.7
  6. 6. For Adobe Commerce 2.4.7: Upgrade to the latest stable 2.4.7 release (2.4.7-p1 or later)
  7. 7. Run composer require magento/product-community-edition=2.4.7-p1 --no-update and then composer update
  8. 8. After upgrade, clear caches: bin/magento cache:flush
Caveat Minor patch upgrades typically have low risk; review Adobe release notes for any breaking changes in the specific patch version

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

Fix this in Commerce Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing12.0 h
  • Review / QA4.0 h
28.0 hours of engineering $4,760
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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-2023-38221 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