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Document LocatorApplication · Documentlocator

CVE-2023-5830

CRITICAL · 9.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2023-10-27
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 7.2 or later.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
High EPSS 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
A vulnerability classified as critical has been found in ColumbiaSoft Document Locator. This affects an unknown part of the file /api/authentication/login of the component WebTools. The manipulation of the argument Server leads to improper authentication. It is possible to initiate the attack remotely. Upgrading to version 7.2 SP4 and 2021.1 is able to address this issue. It is recommended to upgrade the affected component. The identifier VDB-243729 was assigned to this vulnerability.

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 confidence

ColumbiaSoft Document Locator contains an improper authentication vulnerability in the WebTools component at the /api/authentication/login endpoint. Attackers can manipulate the Server argument to bypass authentication mechanisms and gain unauthorized access to the system remotely.

MitigationUpgrade ColumbiaSoft Document Locator to version 7.2 SP4 or 2021.1 as specified in the vendor advisory to address the improper authentication vulnerability.

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
Document LocatorApplication
Affected:< 7.2= 7.2= 21

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 checks

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

  1. Confirm Document Locator installation
    Check for ColumbiaSoft Document Locator installation by looking for its program directory (typically in C:\Program Files\ColumbiaSoft\Document Locator or similar) or check Windows Programs and Features for 'ColumbiaSoft Document Locator' entry
    Affected if Document Locator is not installed or cannot be found
  2. Determine installed version
    Open Windows Programs and Features, locate ColumbiaSoft Document Locator, and note the version column; or check the About/Diagnostics section within the Document Locator client application
    Affected if Version is less than 7.2, equals 7.2 exactly, or equals 21.x (version 21)
  3. Verify WebTools/API component is enabled
    Check the Document Locator server configuration for WebTools settings - typically found in the Document Locator Configuration Manager or web.config file in the web server directory
    Affected if WebTools component is installed and the API endpoint /api/authentication/login is exposed or accessible
  4. Test authentication endpoint accessibility
    Attempt to access the URL pattern: http(s)://[server]/api/authentication/login - note this is a detection check only, do not test credentials or exploit
    Affected if The /api/authentication/login endpoint responds (even with an error) indicating the WebTools API is reachable over the network

User is affected if ColumbiaSoft Document Locator is installed with version less than 7.2, exactly version 7.2, or version 21 AND the WebTools API endpoint at /api/authentication/login is accessible on the network

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 7.2 or later
Fixed in 7.2
Interim mitigation

Upgrade ColumbiaSoft Document Locator to version 7.2 SP4 or 2021.1 as specified in the vendor advisory to address the improper authentication vulnerability.

Recommended fix High confidence

7.2 SP4 or 2021.1 (depending on your current major version line)

  1. 1. Identify the currently installed Document Locator version in your environment
  2. 2. If running version 7.2 or any version before 7.2, download and install version 7.2 SP4 (Service Pack 4) from ColumbiaSoft
  3. 3. If running version 21 or 2021, download and install version 2021.1 from ColumbiaSoft
  4. 4. After upgrading, verify the /api/authentication/login endpoint is accessible and functioning correctly
  5. 5. Confirm the improper authentication vulnerability is resolved by testing the login functionality
  6. 6. Review release notes for any configuration changes required post-upgrade
Caveat Review ColumbiaSoft release notes for any configuration or compatibility changes in SP4/2021.1; standard practice is to backup configuration before upgrading

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

Fix this in Document Locator Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation3.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
10.0 hours of engineering $1,750
Get the upgrade done

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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-2023-5830 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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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