CVE-2023-38693
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 · uneditedLucee Server (or simply Lucee) is a dynamic, Java based, tag and scripting language used for rapid web application development. The Lucee REST endpoint is vulnerable to RCE via an XML XXE attack. This vulnerability is fixed in Lucee 5.4.3.2, 5.3.12.1, 5.3.7.59, 5.3.8.236, and 5.3.9.173.
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 confidenceLucee Server's REST endpoint is vulnerable to Remote Code Execution (RCE) through an XML External Entity (XXE) injection attack. The vulnerability exists in the REST endpoint's XML parsing implementation, which fails to properly sanitize or disable external entity processing when handling XML input.
Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.
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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Identify Lucee Server installation and versionCheck the Lucee Administrator interface (typically at /lucee/admin/) or inspect the Lucee JAR files in the installation directory to determine the exact version number installedAffected if The installed version is any Lucee 5.3.x before 5.3.12.1 (or before 5.3.9.173/5.3.8.236 for specific branches) or any Lucee 5.4.x before 5.4.3.2
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Confirm REST functionality is enabledVerify that the REST endpoint feature is enabled in the Lucee Server Administrator under the 'Services' or 'REST' settings section, or check the application's Application.cfc for REST endpoint mappingsAffected if The REST endpoint is enabled and accessible (typically at /rest/ path)
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Check for XML input handling on REST routesInspect REST service mappings in Application.cfc and any custom REST handlers that process XML payloads, particularly those using xmlParse() or similar XML processing functionsAffected if Any REST route accepts and processes XML input without explicit XXE protection (DOCTYPE disallow)
You are affected if your Lucee Server version falls within the vulnerable ranges AND the REST endpoint is enabled and processes XML input.
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 · scopedUpgrade Lucee Server to version 5.4.3.2, 5.3.12.1, 5.3.7.59, 5.3.8.236, or 5.3.9.173 (or later) to resolve the XXE vulnerability in the REST endpoint.
Lucee 5.4.3.2 (or 5.3.12.1 for 5.3.x branch)
- 1. Backup your current Lucee installation, including the /lib and /web folders, and all configuration files
- 2. Download the fixed Lucee version (recommended: Lucee 5.4.3.2 as the latest stable release)
- 3. Stop the Lucee server or Tomcat/Adobe ColdFusion service running Lucee
- 4. Replace the Lucee JAR files in your installation (typically in the /lib or /WEB-INF/lib directory) with the new version
- 5. If using a WAR deployment, redeploy with the new Lucee WAR file
- 6. Restart the Lucee server
- 7. Verify the REST endpoint is functional and test that XML parsing no longer allows external entity processing
- 8. Monitor logs for any unexpected behavior
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
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Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2023-38693 — 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-2023-38693 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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- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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