Cyber Resilience

CVE-2022-23944

Access Control in Apache Shenyu 2.4.0 … 2.4.1

Published
25 January 2022
Modified
21 November 2024
Patch / advisory
CVSS Score v3.1 9.1
Click a component to see what it means
Raw vectorCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N
EPSS Score 0.79 99.6th percentile
Risk Priority 93 floored blend · peak EPSS

CVSS and EPSS are reproduced from their sources (NVD, FIRST EPSS). Risk Priority is our own derived reading, not an NVD score.

Summary

CVE-2022-23944 is a critical-severity Missing Authorization (CWE-862) vulnerability in Apache Shenyu. Its CVSS base score is 9.1 (Critical).

Operationally, exploitation aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique Exploit Public-Facing Application (T1190); ranked in the top 0.4% of CVEs by exploit likelihood; it is not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog.

Deeper analysis AI-assisted summary

Synthesised by an AI model from the NVD description and linked references — a reading aid, not an authoritative source.

Apache ShenYu versions 2.4.0 and 2.4.1 are affected by a missing authentication vulnerability that permits access to the /plugin API endpoint without any credentials. The flaw is tracked under CWE-862 and CWE-306 and carries a CVSS 3.1 score of 9.1, reflecting network attackability with no required privileges or user interaction.

An unauthenticated remote attacker can directly invoke the unprotected API to read or modify plugin configuration and related data, resulting in high impact to confidentiality and integrity while leaving availability unaffected.

Public advisories issued via the Apache mailing lists and OpenWall lists describe the exposure and point administrators to updated releases that enforce proper authentication on the endpoint.

The CVE maintains an EPSS score near its recorded peak of 0.9024, indicating sustained exploitation interest after public disclosure.

OWASP Top 10 for Web (2025)

EU & UK References

Vulnerability Data

User can access /plugin api without authentication. This issue affected Apache ShenYu 2.4.0 and 2.4.1.

CWE(s)

Related Threats

MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise Techniques

T1190 Exploit Public-Facing Application Initial Access
Adversaries may attempt to exploit a weakness in an Internet-facing host or system to initially access a network.
T1068 Exploitation for Privilege Escalation Privilege Escalation
Adversaries may exploit software vulnerabilities in an attempt to elevate privileges.
T1133 External Remote Services Persistence
Adversaries may leverage external-facing remote services to initially access and/or persist within a network.
T1210 Exploitation of Remote Services Lateral Movement
Adversaries may exploit remote services to gain unauthorized access to internal systems once inside of a network.
T1548 Abuse Elevation Control Mechanism Privilege Escalation
Adversaries may circumvent mechanisms designed to control privilege elevation to gain higher-level permissions.
T1556 Modify Authentication Process Defense Impairment
Adversaries may modify authentication mechanisms and processes to access user credentials or enable otherwise unwarranted access to accounts.
Derived from this CVE’s CWE(s) via the direct CWE→ATT&CK cross-walk.

CVEs Like This One

CVE-2024-27906Same vendor: Apache
CVE-2024-23944Same vendor: Apache
CVE-2023-51650Same vendor: Apache
CVE-2023-50944Same vendor: Apache
CVE-2023-26269Same vendor: Apache
CVE-2023-49620Same vendor: Apache
CVE-2024-45461Same vendor: Apache
CVE-2026-28814Same vendor: Apache
CVE-2026-58319Same vendor: Apache
CVE-2021-45232Same vendor: Apache

Affected Assets

apache
shenyu
2.4.0, 2.4.1

Mitigating Controls

Control response

Prevent
Stop it (NIST 800-53)

—

Detect
Catch it (NIST detect / respond)

—

Harden
Shrink the surface (DISA STIG)
  • 11 hardening rules · 3 OS baselines
Validate
Prove the fix (OWASP ASVS)
  • V6.2.3
  • V6.4.4
  • V10.4.16
  • V12.1.3

Likely Mitigating Controls AI

Per-CVE control mapping for this CVE has not run yet; the list below is derived from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry.

addresses: CWE-306 CWE-862

Requiring identification and rationale for actions allowed without authentication ensures critical functions are not left unprotected by forcing review of authentication requirements.

addresses: CWE-306 CWE-862

Authorizing mobile device connections to organizational systems ensures authentication is performed for this critical access function.

addresses: CWE-862 CWE-306

Always invoking the reference monitor prevents missing authorization checks for protected resources.

addresses: CWE-306 CWE-862

Auditing sessions makes it possible to detect access to critical functions without required authentication.

addresses: CWE-306 CWE-862

The assessment process confirms authentication is present and effective for critical functions, preventing exploitation from missing authentication.

addresses: CWE-306 CWE-862

Certification assesses that critical functions have required authentication controls in place.

addresses: CWE-862 CWE-306

Requiring authorization servers ensures authorization is performed for protected functions.

addresses: CWE-306 CWE-862

Tailoring determines which functions require authentication and selects the appropriate baseline or compensating authentication controls.

Mitigating Controls (NIST CSF 2.0) AI

Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→CSF cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.

PR.AA-03 full match
prevents

Directly requires authentication of users/services/hardware, which eliminates missing authentication for critical functions.

PR.AA-05 full match
prevents

Explicitly requires defining, enforcing, and reviewing authorizations and least privilege, directly preventing missing authorization checks.

PR.AA-01 partial match
prevents

Managing identities and credentials is a prerequisite for authentication but does not itself enforce it on critical functions.

PR.IR-01 partial match
prevents

Protecting networks from unauthorized access can be undermined by missing authentication but does not address the root authentication gap.

Mitigating Controls (ISO/IEC 27001:2022 Annex A) AI

Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→ISO cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.

prevents

The control explicitly calls for authentication before any critical function is reached, eliminating the possibility of bypassing authentication for high-value operations.

prevents

Requiring authentication and credentials before any access occurs eliminates the absence of authorization checks that would otherwise allow an unauthenticated actor to reach protected resources.

prevents

Requiring formal authorization of every access request before rights are granted ensures that checks for required permissions are performed, preventing missing authorization checks from being introduced.

prevents

Mandatory authorization checks and central records of granted rights ensure that every access attempt is preceded by an explicit decision rather than relying on missing checks.

mitigates

Segregating the approval of access rights from their implementation provides an independent check that reduces the impact of missing authorization checks in the resulting system configuration.

finds

By requiring competent outsiders to verify that every function enforces the need-to-know principle, the control lowers the likelihood that missing authorization checks persist undetected.

Hardening callouts derived

Configuration rules from DISA STIG baselines that bear on weaknesses of the type cited by this CVE. Each rule is shown with the relationship its mapping actually records, against the CWE it was authored against. Derived via CVE→CWE over `controls_xwalks` (authoritative rows only; rows rated `none` are excluded).

Oracle Linux 8 (4 rules)
  • V-248581 OL 8 must require users to provide a password for privilege escalation. prevents CWE-862
  • V-248585 OL 8 must require reauthentication when using the "sudo" command. prevents CWE-306
  • V-248827 OL 8 must not have the rsh-server package installed. prevents CWE-306
RHEL 7 (4 rules)
  • V-204442 The Red Hat Enterprise Linux operating system must not have the rsh-server package installed. prevents CWE-306
  • V-251704 The Red Hat Enterprise Linux operating system must not be configured to bypass password requirements for privilege escalation. prevents CWE-862
  • V-204429 The Red Hat Enterprise Linux operating system must be configured so that users must provide a password for privilege escalation. prevents CWE-862
RHEL 8 (2 rules)
  • V-230492 RHEL 8 must not have the rsh-server package installed. prevents CWE-306
  • V-237643 RHEL 8 must require re-authentication when using the "sudo" command. prevents CWE-306

References