CVE-2023-38285
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 · uneditedTrustwave ModSecurity 3.x before 3.0.10 has Inefficient Algorithmic Complexity.
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 confidenceModSecurity 3.x before version 3.0.10 contains an inefficient algorithmic complexity vulnerability. This computational complexity issue could allow attackers to cause denial of service by triggering excessive resource consumption through specially crafted requests that exploit the inefficient algorithm.
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>= 3.0.0, < 3.0.10CVSS 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
- None
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Identify ModSecurity versionRun `modsecurity --version` or check the ModSecurity log file for the version string at startup. On Linux systems, you can also use `rpm -qa | grep mod_security` or `dpkg -l | grep modsecurity` depending on your package manager.Affected if The version displayed is 3.0.0 through 3.0.9 (any version >= 3.0.0 but < 3.0.10)
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Locate ModSecurity installation directoryCheck common installation paths such as `/usr/local/modsecurity/`, `/etc/modsecurity/`, or the directory containing your modsecurity.conf file. The location depends on your deployment method (source compile or package manager).Affected if A ModSecurity installation exists in a path consistent with versions 3.0.0 through 3.0.9
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Verify the running ModSecurity library versionIf ModSecurity is deployed as an Apache, Nginx, or IIS module, identify the running library by examining the process list or loading the module and checking its reported version. Use `httpd -v` for Apache or check the error logs for ModSecurity version information.Affected if The loaded ModSecurity library reports a version between 3.0.0 and 3.0.9
If ModSecurity 3.x is installed and its version is 3.0.0 through 3.0.9, the environment is affected by this inefficient algorithmic complexity vulnerability.
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 · scoped3.0.10
Upgrade ModSecurity to version 3.0.10 or later to remediate the inefficient algorithmic complexity vulnerability.
ModSecurity 3.0.10
- 1. Check current ModSecurity version using 'modsecurity -v' or checking your package manager
- 2. Download ModSecurity 3.0.10 from the official GitHub repository or your distribution's package repository
- 3. Stop any services using ModSecurity (e.g., Apache, Nginx) before upgrading
- 4. Install ModSecurity 3.0.10 using your system's package manager or compile from source
- 5. Verify the upgrade was successful by checking the version number
- 6. Restart the web server (Apache/Nginx) to load the updated ModSecurity library
- 7. Test that the web server and ModSecurity are functioning correctly with your existing rules
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing8.0 h
- Review / QA4.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $5,504.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2023-38285 — 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-2023-38285 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