Raw vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:NCVSS and EPSS are reproduced from their sources (NVD, FIRST EPSS). Risk Priority is our own derived reading, not an NVD score.
Summary
CVE-2023-33960 is a high-severity Exposure of Sensitive Information to an Unauthorized Actor (CWE-200) vulnerability in Openproject Openproject. Its CVSS base score is 7.5 (High).
Operationally, exploitation aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique Network Sniffing (T1040); ranked in the top 31% 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.
OpenProject is a web-based project management application that automatically generates a robots.txt file listing routes that crawlers should avoid. Prior to version 12.5.6, this file included the identifiers of every public project on the instance and remained accessible at the unauthenticated /robots.txt endpoint even when the entire installation was configured to require login and block all anonymous access. The issue is tracked as CVE-2023-33960 with a CVSS 3.1 score of 7.5 and is classified under CWE-200 and CWE-319.
An unauthenticated attacker can simply retrieve the robots.txt file to enumerate project identifiers that would otherwise be hidden behind the login requirement. This information disclosure can be used for targeted follow-on attacks against the listed projects or to map the attack surface of an otherwise non-public OpenProject deployment.
The official fix is included in OpenProject 12.5.6; a patch is also available for any version greater than 10.0. As a workaround, administrators can convert public projects to non-public and grant access only through explicit memberships. The referenced GitHub advisory and pull request provide the detailed change set.
EPSS for the vulnerability reached a peak of 0.4625, indicating measurable exploitation interest after disclosure.
OWASP Top 10 for Web (2025)
EU & UK References
- 🇪🇺 ENISA EUVD: EUVD-2023-38091
Vulnerability Data
OpenProject is web-based project management software. For any OpenProject installation, a `robots.txt` file is generated through the server to denote which routes shall or shall not be accessed by crawlers. These routes contain project identifiers of all public projects in…
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the instance. Prior to version 12.5.6, even if the entire instance is marked as `Login required` and prevents all truly anonymous access, the `/robots.txt` route remains publicly available. Version 12.5.6 has a fix for this issue. Alternatively, users can download a patchfile to apply the patch to any OpenProject version greater than 10.0 As a workaround, one may mark any public project as non-public and give anyone in need of access to the project a membership.
- CWE(s)
Related Threats
MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise Techniques
CVEs Like This One
Affected Assets
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.
A data action map identifies locations where sensitive information may be exposed to unauthorized actors during processing or transfer.
The media protection policy defines requirements and procedures to prevent unauthorized disclosure or access to sensitive information on media.
Policies mandate protection of CUI on external systems, directly reducing unauthorized exposure of sensitive information.
Out-of-band delivery transmits sensitive data on a separate path, directly reducing exposure to unauthorized actors on the primary channel.
Wireless link protection (encryption, directional transmission, etc.) directly prevents unauthorized actors from observing transmitted data.
Automated marking applies security attributes to system outputs, making it harder for attackers to exploit unmarked sensitive information leading to unauthorized exposure.
Proper attribute retention and permitted-value enforcement limits unauthorized actors from accessing sensitive information lacking correct labels.
Prevents unauthorized exposure of sensitive information by prohibiting untrusted external systems from processing or storing it.
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.
Encryption of data-in-transit directly prevents cleartext transmission while the control also addresses integrity and availability.
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.
A.5.10 only requires awareness, a topic-specific acceptable-use policy stating expected behaviours/monitoring, and procedures referencing classification and other controls; per the owner's explicit rule on labelling and similar dependency-style clauses, this does not itself prevent exposure (CWE-200) unless access/DLP/etc. act on it.
Requiring the return of all physical and electronic assets plus secure deletion of organizational data from personal devices reduces the chance that sensitive information remains accessible to departing personnel.
A.5.12 only defines and communicates a classification scheme so that protection needs can be understood; per the owner's explicit rule, labeling/classification does not itself prevent exposure and requires other controls (e.g. access enforcement) to act on it.
By requiring classification labels and metadata on all information assets, the control makes it harder for sensitive data to be inadvertently exposed because downstream systems and users can recognize and enforce handling rules based on those labels.
Requiring encryption, access controls, and recipient authentication for transfers directly reduces the chance that sensitive data reaches an unauthorized observer.
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.