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PlatformApplication · Pega

CVE-2023-50165

HIGH · 8.6 CVSS v3.1 Published 2024-01-31
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to after 23.1.0 or later.
See remediation →
95/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable No privileges 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
Pega Platform versions 8.2.1 to Infinity 23.1.0 are affected by an Generated PDF issue that could expose file contents.

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 confidence

Pega Platform contains a vulnerability in its PDF generation functionality that allows attackers to access sensitive files on the server. The issue likely involves improper path validation or access controls in the PDF rendering process, enabling unauthorized file content disclosure through manipulated requests.

MitigationUpgrade Pega Platform to version 23.1.1 or later. If immediate patching is not feasible, restrict access to PDF generation endpoints and implement additional input validation on file path parameters.

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
PlatformApplication
Affected:>= 8.2.1, <= 23.1.0

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
Changed
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
None
Availability
None

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/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 checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Identify installed Pega Platform version
    Log into Pega Platform admin console or execute the 'about' command in PRPC to retrieve the exact version number. Compare against the affected range 8.2.1 through 23.1.0.
    Affected if Installed version falls within >= 8.2.1 and <= 23.1.0
  2. Determine if PDF generation functionality is enabled
    Locate and inspect the PDF generation or document generation settings within the Pega Platform admin console. Look for any servlets, activities, or rules related to PDF rendering such as 'pdf', 'document', or 'render' in the configuration.
    Affected if PDF generation feature is active or configurable in the environment
  3. Check for accessible PDF generation endpoints
    Review the Pega Platform web.xml or deployment configuration for exposed servlets that handle PDF generation requests. Identify URLs or endpoints that process file or document conversion requests.
    Affected if PDF generation endpoints are publicly or loosely accessible without additional authentication
  4. Inspect access controls on file handling parameters
    Examine the configuration of PDF generation activities for validation of file path parameters. Look for any custom activities or rules that handle file path input during document rendering.
    Affected if File path parameters in PDF generation are not strictly validated or are passed directly to file system operations

The environment is affected if Pega Platform version is between 8.2.1 and 23.1.0 and the PDF generation feature is accessible, since the vulnerability allows unauthorized file access through manipulated PDF requests.

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
Upgrade available Upgrade to a release after 23.1.0
Interim mitigation

Upgrade Pega Platform to version 23.1.1 or later. If immediate patching is not feasible, restrict access to PDF generation endpoints and implement additional input validation on file path parameters.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Upgrade to a Pega Platform version beyond 23.1.0 (check support.pega.com for the specific patched release)

  1. 1. Back up your current Pega Platform instance and verify backups are restorable
  2. 2. Review Pega Platform release notes and patch information at support.pega.com for CVE-2023-50165
  3. 3. Identify the recommended patched version or patch for your specific Pega release
  4. 4. Schedule a maintenance window for the upgrade
  5. 5. Test the upgrade in a non-production environment first
  6. 6. Apply the upgrade or patch following Pega's standard upgrade procedures
  7. 7. Verify the SSRF vulnerability is remediated by confirming PDF generation no longer allows unauthorized file access
  8. 8. Deploy to production after successful validation
Caveat Review release notes for any breaking changes between your current version and the target version; major version upgrades may require compatibility testing

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

Fix this in Platform Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation12.0 h
  • Testing8.0 h
  • Review / QA4.0 h
28.0 hours of engineering $4,880
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An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $7,808.

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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-2023-50165 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