MaxscaleApplication · MariaDB
CVE-2023-40354
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 · uneditedAn issue was discovered in MariaDB MaxScale before 23.02.3. A user enters an encrypted password on a "maxctrl create service" command line, but this password is then stored in cleartext in the resulting .cnf file under /var/lib/maxscale/maxscale.cnf.d. The fixed versions are 2.5.28, 6.4.9, 22.08.8, and 23.02.3.
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 confidenceIn MariaDB MaxScale before version 23.02.3 (and before 2.5.28, 6.4.9, 22.08.8), when a user provides an encrypted password via the maxctrl create service command line interface, the password is incorrectly stored in cleartext in the resulting configuration file at /var/lib/maxscale/maxscale.cnf.d. This exposes the password to anyone with filesystem access to the MaxScale server.
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
MaxscaleApplication
< 2.5.28>= 6.0.0, < 6.4.9>= 22.08, < 22.08.8>= 23.02, < 23.02.3CVSS 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
- Low
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N
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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Check MaxScale versionRun 'maxscale --version' or 'maxctrl list servers' to determine the installed versionAffected if Version is less than 2.5.28, or between 6.0.0 and 6.4.9, or between 22.08.0 and 22.08.8, or between 23.02.0 and 23.02.3
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Identify service configurationsList files under /var/lib/maxscale/maxscale.cnf.d/ directory using 'ls -la /var/lib/maxscale/maxscale.cnf.d/'Affected if Configuration files exist in this directory created via maxctrl create service command
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Inspect for plaintext passwordsSearch configuration files for password parameters and examine whether values appear as plaintext strings rather than encrypted format. Use 'grep -r "password" /var/lib/maxscale/maxscale.cnf.d/' to find password entriesAffected if Any password= entries in service configuration files contain readable plaintext values that were intended to be encrypted
You are affected if MaxScale version falls within the vulnerable ranges AND service configuration files in /var/lib/maxscale/maxscale.cnf.d contain plaintext passwords that should have been stored encrypted.
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 · scoped2.5.286.4.922.08.8
Upgrade MariaDB MaxScale to version 2.5.28, 6.4.9, 22.08.8, 23.02.3 or later. Review existing configuration files under /var/lib/maxscale/ for any inadvertently stored cleartext passwords and rotate them as a precaution.
2.5.28, 6.4.9, 22.08.8, or 23.02.3 (depending on current branch)
- 1. Identify the current MaxScale version by running 'maxscale --version'
- 2. Determine which version branch you are currently on (2.5.x, 6.x, 22.08.x, or 23.02.x)
- 3. For 2.5.x branch: upgrade to version 2.5.28
- 4. For 6.x branch: upgrade to version 6.4.9
- 5. For 22.08.x branch: upgrade to version 22.08.8
- 6. For 23.02.x branch: upgrade to version 23.02.3
- 7. After upgrade, verify the new MaxScale version with 'maxscale --version'
- 8. Review the configuration in /var/lib/maxscale/maxscale.cnf.d to confirm passwords are no longer stored in cleartext after recreating services with encrypted passwords
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
Fix this in Maxscale
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation3.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing3.0 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 $3,408.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2023-40354 — 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-2023-40354 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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