CVE-2023-27524

Session Validation attacks in Apache Superset versions up to and including 2.0.1. Installations that have not altered the default configured SECRET_KEY according to installation instructions allow for an attacker to authenticate and access unauthorized resources. This does not affect Superset administrators who have changed the default value for SECRET_KEY config. All superset installations should always set a unique secure random SECRET_KEY. Your SECRET_KEY is used to securely sign all session cookies and encrypting sensitive information on the database. Add a strong SECRET_KEY to your `superset_config.py` file like: SECRET_KEY = <YOUR_OWN_RANDOM_GENERATED_SECRET_KEY> Alternatively you can set it with `SUPERSET_SECRET_KEY` environment variable.

CVSS: 8.9Highscored by the publisher (CNA)
Exploited in the wild: Yes, in CISA KEV since 8 Jan 2024CISA deadline for US federal agencies: 29 Jan 2024public exploit code
EPSS: 98.1%chance of exploitation in the next 30 daystop 0.1% of scored CVEsFIRST score of 11 Nov 2026
Fix: Patch availablesee the advisories in the references
Published: 24 Apr 2023analysed here 12 Nov 2026

Do first. Apply mitigations per vendor instructions or discontinue use of the product if mitigations are unavailable. (CISA's required action for this KEV entry)

Summary

Triage

Exploitable: At runtime
Attack vector: network
Weakness: CWE-1188 Common Weakness

The summary, impact and action text on this page are written by our AI analysis pipeline, or taken from the NVD description when a CVE was imported from NVD. They are not the vendor's wording: check them against the sources. A longer AI executive summary and technical analysis are generated for signed-in accounts on the Max plan.

Affected products

Product	Affected versions	Vendor says fixed in
Apache Software Foundation Apache Superset	<= 2.0.1Vendor says fixed in: not stated	Not stated by the vendor

As published in the CVE Program record. A version outside these ranges is not a statement that it is unaffected — vendors sometimes understate a range, and distribution-backported builds carry upstream numbers that do not reflect what was patched into them.

Products named in our analysis

apache:superset

Fix and mitigation

WAF and other mitigations

Can a WAF block it? No. The attack involves authenticating by exploiting a default secret key used to sign session cookies, which happens over HTTP requests. The malicious requests look like normal authenticated requests, so a web application firewall cannot reliably distinguish them from legitimate traffic.

Also consider: patch

Based on an AI reading of the CVE description, and no vendor rule found yet. We check Cloudflare, AWS, Google Cloud Armor and Azure; for Akamai, Imperva, Fastly, F5, ask your vendor.

Remediation steps (AI-written)

Step-by-step remediation is generated for accounts on the Max plan, for CVEs that match a technology in their stack. Add this technology to your stack to see the fix checklist.

Exploitation evidence

CISA KEV catalog: Listed since 8 Jan 2024.
CISA due date: 29 Jan 2024, the remediation deadline for US federal agencies
CISA required action: Apply mitigations per vendor instructions or discontinue use of the product if mitigations are unavailable.
Public exploit code: Yes: 1 on Exploit-DB · 2 Metasploit modules · 16 GitHub proofs of concept · 1 Nuclei template
CISA SSVC: exploitation active, automatable no, technical impact totalAssessed by CISA 3 Feb 2025 (SSVC 2.0.3). Exploitation is none, poc (public proof of concept) or active.

and 12 more repositories

Listed so you can judge urgency, not as a recommendation to run anything. GitHub “proofs of concept” are unvetted: some are fake or carry malware. Exploit-DB marks the entries its staff verified.

Timeline

24 Apr 2023Published
25 Apr 2023First public exploit or proof of conceptsame day later
8 Jan 2024Added to CISA KEV (exploited in the wild)258 days (about 9 months) later
29 Jan 2024CISA remediation due date (US federal agencies)21 days later
3 Feb 2025CISA SSVC assessment: exploitation active372 days (about 1 year) later
21 Oct 2025CVE record last updated260 days (about 9 months) later
12 Nov 2026Analysed by vulneraibility.com387 days (about 1 year) later

CVSS vector

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:L

Metric	Value	What it means
Attack vector	NetworkReachable over the internet or any routable network.	Reachable over the internet or any routable network.
Attack complexity	HighNeeds specific conditions, a race or a particular configuration.	Needs specific conditions, a race or a particular configuration.
Privileges required	NoneThe attacker needs no prior access.	The attacker needs no prior access.
User interaction	NoneNo victim action needed.	No victim action needed.
Scope	ChangedImpact crosses a security boundary into other components.	Impact crosses a security boundary into other components.
Confidentiality	HighTotal data disclosure possible.	Total data disclosure possible.
Integrity	HighComplete modification possible.	Complete modification possible.
Availability	LowPartial degradation possible.	Partial degradation possible.

Common questions

Is CVE-2023-27524 being exploited?

Yes. CVE-2023-27524 appears in CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog, which means exploitation in the wild has been confirmed and reported. Treat it as active rather than theoretical, and patch it ahead of higher-scoring vulnerabilities that carry no exploitation evidence.

How severe is CVE-2023-27524?

CVE-2023-27524 is rated High with a CVSS score of 8.9. Severity describes how bad exploitation would be, not how likely it is: pair it with exploitation evidence before deciding what to patch first.

Is there a patch for CVE-2023-27524?

Yes. A fix has been recorded for CVE-2023-27524. The vendor advisory is the authority on the exact fixed version — apply it from there rather than from a summary.

What does CVE-2023-27524 affect?

CVE-2023-27524 affects apache:superset. Confirm the exact affected versions against the vendor advisory before deciding you are exposed.

Exploitation status reflects CISA's KEV catalog as we last synced it. Check the catalog directly.

References

NVD CVE.org CVE Details Source

5 references in the CVE record, grouped by the tags the record gives them.

Advisories (1)

lists.apache.org /thread/n0ftx60sllf527j7g11kmt24wvof8xyk

Where the data on this page comes from

CVE List (CVE.org): description, affected versions, references; CVE Terms of Use
NVD: CVSS and CPE data
CISA KEV catalog: exploitation, date added, due date
CISA Vulnrichment (ADP): SSVC decision points
FIRST EPSS: exploit probability and percentile
Exploit-DB: published exploits
Metasploit Framework: exploit and scanner modules
Nuclei templates: detection templates
PoC-in-GitHub: GitHub repositories that claim a proof of concept
OSV: advisory aliases and downstream package versions

Summary, impact and triage tags: written by our AI analysis pipeline from the sources above. Check them against the sources.

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