Security Resilience

CVE-2023-2227

Access Control in Modoboa ≤ 2.1.0

Public PoCAccess Control
Published
21 April 2023
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 0.44 99th 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-2023-2227 is a critical-severity Improper Authorization (CWE-285) vulnerability in Modoboa Modoboa. Its CVSS base score is 9.1 (Critical).

Operationally, ranked in the top 1% of CVEs by exploit likelihood; it is not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog; a public proof-of-concept is referenced.

Deeper analysis AI-assisted summary

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

CVE-2023-2227 is an improper authorization vulnerability, tracked as CWE-285, that affects the Modoboa email hosting platform in the GitHub repository modoboa/modoboa prior to version 2.1.0. The flaw received a CVSS 3.1 score of 9.1, reflecting network-accessible exploitation with no required credentials or user interaction and high impact on confidentiality and integrity.

An unauthenticated attacker can exploit the weakness to bypass authorization controls and perform actions that read or modify sensitive data within the application. Because the attack requires no privileges, it can be launched remotely against any exposed Modoboa instance running an affected release.

Public references point to a fix merged in commit 7bcd3f6eb264d4e3e01071c97c2bac51cdd6fe97, which updates the codebase to version 2.1.0; administrators are therefore advised to upgrade promptly. The associated huntr.dev bounty entry documents the same remediation path.

EPSS for the CVE reached a peak of 0.9092 and currently stands at 0.7782, indicating sustained and substantial exploitation interest after disclosure.

OWASP Top 10 for Web (2025)

EU & UK References

Vulnerability Data

Improper Authorization in GitHub repository modoboa/modoboa prior to 2.1.0.

CWE(s)

Related Threats

CVEs Like This One

CVE-2023-0438Same product: Modoboa Modoboa
CVE-2023-0470Same product: Modoboa Modoboa
CVE-2023-0949Same product: Modoboa Modoboa
CVE-2023-0398Same product: Modoboa Modoboa
CVE-2023-0519Same product: Modoboa Modoboa
CVE-2023-5690Same product: Modoboa Modoboa
CVE-2023-2228Same product: Modoboa Modoboa
CVE-2026-27602Same product: Modoboa Modoboa
CVE-2023-0777Same product: Modoboa Modoboa
CVE-2023-5689Same product: Modoboa Modoboa

Affected Assets

modoboa
modoboa
≤ 2.1.0

Mitigating Controls

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-285

Documented procedures facilitate correct implementation and ongoing management of authorization decisions.

addresses: CWE-285

Periodic reviews identify and correct flaws in authorization decisions or enforcement.

addresses: CWE-285

The control's documentation requirement reduces improper authorization by ensuring only mission-justified actions bypass authentication.

addresses: CWE-285

Establishing permitted attributes and values, plus auditing changes, ensures authorization decisions are based on correctly managed policy data.

addresses: CWE-285

Explicitly mandates authorizing remote access types before permitting connections, directly mitigating improper authorization.

addresses: CWE-285

The control explicitly requires authorization of each wireless access type prior to permitting connections.

addresses: CWE-285

Mandating explicit authorization of mobile device connections reduces the risk of improper authorization decisions for system access.

addresses: CWE-285

Specifying access authorizations for each account and requiring approvals for account requests enforces proper authorization decisions.

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.

blocks

A.5.1 only requires the existence of an overarching policy and topic-specific policies (including on access control); it does not itself perform or enforce any authorization check, so the CWE-285 weakness can still be exploited.

blocks

Mapping access rights to information classification and business requirements forces correct enforcement of authorization decisions, blocking the incorrect authorization weakness at the policy and implementation stage.

finds

Independent reviewers evaluate whether authorization logic matches policy, thereby reducing the window in which incorrect or missing authorization checks remain in production.

finds

By requiring managers to verify that authorization decisions match policy and to remediate deviations, the control limits the persistence of incorrect or missing authorization checks.

blocks

Requiring authorization processes and privilege assignments to be specified during project initiation prevents downstream components from receiving overly broad or incorrect rights that would allow unauthorized actions.

blocks

A.8.3 directly mandates and configures the authorization mechanisms (identity/group rights, dynamic access rules, isolation, credential enforcement) that stop CWE-285 exploitation; the bounded remainder is non-authorization exposure vectors such as error messages or observable discrepancies.

Hardening callouts derived

DISA STIG baselines are authored against specific weaknesses. Where this CVE cites a broad weakness class, the mapping is not asserted at that abstraction (owner ruling, 2026-09-25: grade only at Base and below), so no rule is shown here rather than a rule shown against the wrong grain.

  • No fine-grained STIG row for CWE-285, a class-level weakness. Rules are authored against its narrower children: CWE-552.

References