CVE-2023-30801
Exposed Creds in Qbittorrent ≤ 4.5.5
Raw vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:HCVSS and EPSS are reproduced from their sources (NVD, FIRST EPSS). Risk Priority is our own derived reading, not an NVD score.
Summary
CVE-2023-30801 is a critical-severity Use of Default Credentials (CWE-1392) vulnerability in Qbittorrent Qbittorrent. Its CVSS base score is 9.8 (Critical).
Operationally, exploitation aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique Credentials In Files (T1552.001); ranked in the top 31% of CVEs by exploit likelihood; it is not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog; a public proof-of-concept is referenced.
OWASP Top 10 for Web (2025)
EU & UK References
- 🇪🇺 ENISA EUVD: EUVD-2023-35161
Vulnerability Data
All versions of the qBittorrent client through 4.5.5 use default credentials when the web user interface is enabled. The administrator is not forced to change the default credentials. As of 4.5.5, this issue has not been fixed. A remote attacker…
more
can use the default credentials to authenticate and execute arbitrary operating system commands using the "external program" feature in the web user interface. This was reportedly exploited in the wild in March 2023.
- CWE(s)
Related Threats
MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise Techniques
CVEs Like This One
Affected Assets
Mitigating Controls
Control response
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V13.2.1
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.
Policy and procedures prohibit hard-coded credentials in favor of managed authentication.
Changing default authenticators prior to first use and protecting content prevents use of hard-coded credentials.
Strategy enforces supplier requirements and code reviews that reduce hard-coded credentials introduced through acquired products.
Requiring security functional requirements and acceptance criteria allows contracts to prohibit hard-coded credentials in delivered systems or components.
Known vulnerabilities section of admin docs covers hard-coded credentials and how to replace them, limiting their use in deployments.
Enables users to notice when hard-coded credentials have been exploited for unauthorized access.
Security training explicitly warns against hard-coded credentials, lowering their use in systems.
Mandates replacement of default credentials during secure configuration and provisioning procedures.
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.
Credential management processes directly require replacing or disabling default passwords and keys.
Authentication policies can enforce non-default credential strength but do not explicitly address initial deployment defaults.
Hardened baselines and configuration management explicitly prohibit default credentials on deployed systems.
PR.AA-02 addresses human identity proofing and per-person credential issuance at enrollment; it has no bearing on whether developers embed static credentials in software.
PR.DS-01 addresses encryption and integrity of stored data but never touches credential or key management practices, so it neither prevents hard-coded credentials nor removes any of their risk.
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.
Education on secure configuration practices discourages technical staff from embedding or relying on hard-coded credentials in systems and applications.