TerraformApplication · Hashicorp
CVE-2023-4782
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 · uneditedTerraform version 1.0.8 through 1.5.6 allows arbitrary file write during the `init` operation if run on maliciously crafted Terraform configuration. This vulnerability is fixed in Terraform 1.5.7.
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 confidenceTerraform versions 1.0.8 through 1.5.6 contain an arbitrary file write vulnerability triggered during the `init` operation when running on maliciously crafted Terraform configuration. An attacker who convinces a user to run `terraform init` on their malicious configuration can write files to arbitrary locations on the filesystem, potentially leading to privilege escalation or code execution.
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
TerraformApplication
>= 1.0.8, < 1.5.7CVSS 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
- Local
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges
- Low
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/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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Determine installed Terraform versionRun `terraform version` command to retrieve the exact version number of your Terraform installationAffected if The reported version is greater than or equal to 1.0.8 and less than 1.5.7
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Confirm affected version rangeCompare your installed version against the affected range: versions 1.0.8, 1.0.9, 1.1.x, 1.2.x, 1.3.x, 1.4.x, 1.5.0, 1.5.1, 1.5.2, 1.5.3, 1.5.4, 1.5.5, and 1.5.6 are all vulnerableAffected if Your Terraform version appears in the list of affected versions >= 1.0.8 and < 1.5.7
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Identify terraform init usage patternsReview whether `terraform init` is executed in your workflows and consider the source of the configurations it processesAffected if You run terraform init on Terraform configurations, particularly those from untrusted or unverified sources
You are affected if your Terraform version is 1.0.8 through 1.5.6 and you run terraform init, since the vulnerability can be triggered by malicious configuration files.
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 · scoped1.5.7
Upgrade Terraform to version 1.5.7 or later. Additionally, avoid running `terraform init` on untrusted or unverified Terraform configurations.
1.5.7
- Check the current Terraform version using `terraform version`
- Upgrade Terraform to version 1.5.7 or later by downloading from https://www.terraform.io/downloads or using a version manager like tfenv
- Verify the upgrade was successful by running `terraform version`
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
Fix this in Terraform
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation1.0 h
- Implementation1.0 h
- Testing2.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $1,376.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2023-4782 — 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-2023-4782 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
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