Cyber Resilience

CVE-2023-28731

Acymailing ≤ 8.3.0

Public PoC
Published
30 March 2023
Modified
21 November 2024
CVSS Score v3.1 9.8
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:H
EPSS Score 0.018 76th percentile
Risk Priority 80 floored blend · peak EPSS

Summary

CVE-2023-28731 is a critical-severity Improper Input Validation (CWE-20) vulnerability in Acymailing Acymailing. Its CVSS base score is 9.8 (Critical).

Operationally, exploitation aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique Exploit Public-Facing Application (T1190); ranked in the top 24% 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.

The vulnerability is an unauthenticated remote code execution flaw in the AnyMailing Joomla Plugin Enterprise edition, caused by unrestricted file upload that permits injection of PHP code. It affects all versions below 8.3.0 and stems from improper input validation (CWE-20) combined with acceptance of dangerous file types (CWE-434). The issue manifests when an attacker is granted access to campaign creation functionality exposed on the front office.

An attacker can exploit the flaw over the network without authentication or user interaction to upload and execute arbitrary PHP payloads. Successful exploitation grants full control over the affected Joomla instance, allowing arbitrary code execution with impacts to confidentiality, integrity, and availability, consistent with the CVSS 9.8 rating.

Public advisories and the vendor change log recommend upgrading to version 8.3.0 or later to remediate the unrestricted upload condition. The EPSS score has remained flat at 0.0906 with no material increase since disclosure.

OWASP Top 10 for Web (2025)

EU & UK References

Vulnerability Data

AnyMailing Joomla Plugin is vulnerable to unauthenticated remote code execution, when being granted access to the campaign's creation on front-office due to unrestricted file upload allowing PHP code to be injected. This issue affects AnyMailing Joomla Plugin Enterprise in versions…

more

below 8.3.0.

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.
T1505 Server Software Component Persistence
Adversaries may abuse legitimate extensible development features of servers to establish persistent access to systems.
T1505.003 Web Shell Persistence
Adversaries may backdoor web servers with web shells to establish persistent access to systems.
T1036.001 Invalid Code Signature Stealth
Adversaries may attempt to mimic features of valid code signatures to increase the chance of deceiving a user, analyst, or tool.
T1059 Command and Scripting Interpreter Execution
Adversaries may abuse command and script interpreters to execute commands, scripts, or binaries.
T1068 Exploitation for Privilege Escalation Privilege Escalation
Adversaries may exploit software vulnerabilities in an attempt to elevate privileges.
Derived from this CVE’s CWE(s) via the direct CWE→ATT&CK cross-walk.

CVEs Like This One

CVE-2023-28733Same product: Acymailing Acymailing
CVE-2023-28732Same product: Acymailing Acymailing
CVE-2023-39538Shared CWE-20, CWE-434
CVE-2023-39539Shared CWE-20, CWE-434
CVE-2021-34427Shared CWE-20, CWE-434
CVE-2023-22937Shared CWE-20, CWE-434
CVE-2024-3488Shared CWE-20, CWE-434
CVE-2026-9157Shared CWE-20, CWE-434
CVE-2023-2071Shared CWE-20, CWE-434
CVE-2022-0415Shared CWE-20, CWE-434

Affected Assets

acymailing
acymailing
≤ 8.3.0

Mitigating Controls

Control response

Prevent
Stop it (NIST 800-53)

Detect
Catch it (NIST detect / respond)

Harden
Shrink the surface (DISA STIG)
  • 6 hardening rules · 3 OS baselines
Validate
Prove the fix (OWASP ASVS)
  • V5.1.1

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-434

Requiring identifiable owners for portable devices reduces the attack surface for unrestricted uploads of dangerous file types via anonymous media.

addresses: CWE-20

Security testing and developer training directly verify and enforce proper input validation, reducing exploitability of injection and malformed-data weaknesses.

addresses: CWE-20

Security testing and evaluation at multiple SDLC stages directly detects missing or flawed input validation, with the required remediation process ensuring fixes are applied.

addresses: CWE-434

Dangerous file uploads can be detonated in the chamber to determine malice before any production write or execution occurs.

addresses: CWE-434

Prevents unrestricted writing of arbitrary or malicious firmware by keeping hardware write-protect enabled except under tightly controlled manual procedures.

addresses: CWE-20

Directly implements checks on information inputs to reject invalid data before processing.

addresses: CWE-434

Scans files from external sources on download/open/execute, blocking unrestricted uploads of dangerous file types.

addresses: CWE-20

Spam protection mechanisms perform filtering and detection on inbound/outbound messages, directly compensating for missing or weak input validation of unsolicited content.

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.PS-05 mostly match
prevents

Restricting execution of unauthorized software directly blocks dangerous uploaded files from running.

PR.PS-06 mostly match
prevents

Secure SDLC practices directly require and enforce input validation during development.

PR.PS-01 partial match
prevents

Hardened configuration baselines can enforce allowed file types and processing rules.

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.

finds

Testing against a defined set of requirements and using code review plus vulnerability scanning forces validation of inputs and handling of unanticipated conditions, reducing the chance that malformed data will be accepted.

prevents

Secure-coding guidelines and mandatory security testing (including code scans) compel developers to validate and sanitize inputs at design and implementation time, lowering the incidence of malformed or malicious data reaching downstream components.

prevents

Mandating input controls that include integrity checks and input validation ensures that untrusted data is examined before use, blocking the root cause of many injection and malformed-data weaknesses.

prevents

Security-by-design principles explicitly call for data validation and sanitization at every layer, reducing the chance that malformed or malicious input will be processed without scrutiny.

prevents

Requiring language-specific secure coding standards, peer review, SAST and documented mitigation of common programming errors forces validation of all inputs before they are trusted.

prevents

Mandated testing for malicious content and known vulnerabilities reduces the likelihood that an outsourced component will contain or accept dangerous file types that could later be uploaded or executed.

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).

RHEL 8 (1 rule)
  • V-230265 RHEL 8 must prevent the installation of software, patches, service packs, device drivers, or operating system components of local packages without verification they have been digitally signed using a certificate that is issued by a Certificate Authority (CA) that is recognized and approved by the organization. prevents CWE-20

References