Security Resilience

CVE-2023-35348

Exposed Creds in Microsoft Windows Server 2016

Published
11 July 2023
Modified
21 November 2024
Patch / advisory
CVSS Score v3.1 6.5
Click a component to see what it means
Raw vectorCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N
EPSS Score 0.010 63th percentile
Risk Priority 52 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-2023-35348 is a medium-severity Insufficiently Protected Credentials (CWE-522) vulnerability in Microsoft Windows Server 2016. Its CVSS base score is 6.5 (Medium).

Operationally, ranked in the top 37% of CVEs by exploit likelihood; it is not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog.

OWASP Top 10 for Web (2025)

EU & UK References

Vulnerability Data

Active Directory Federation Service Security Feature Bypass Vulnerability

CWE(s)

Related Threats

CVEs Like This One

CVE-2023-32083Same product: Microsoft Windows Server 2016
CVE-2023-35317Same product: Microsoft Windows Server 2016
CVE-2024-26222Same product: Microsoft Windows Server 2016
CVE-2023-23400Same product: Microsoft Windows Server 2016
CVE-2023-35643Same product: Microsoft Windows Server 2016
CVE-2023-32022Same product: Microsoft Windows Server 2016
CVE-2023-35638Same product: Microsoft Windows Server 2016
CVE-2023-29369Same product: Microsoft Windows Server 2016
CVE-2024-38076Same product: Microsoft Windows Server 2016
CVE-2023-32021Same product: Microsoft Windows Server 2016

Affected Assets

microsoft
windows server 2016
all versions
microsoft
windows server 2019
all versions
microsoft
windows server 2022
all versions

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-522

Training instructs users on protecting credentials from disclosure or unauthorized access.

addresses: CWE-522

Training records for security awareness and role-based training verify education on credential protection practices, tangibly reducing risks from mishandling or exposing credentials.

addresses: CWE-522

Protecting authenticator content from unauthorized disclosure and modification while requiring protective controls addresses insufficiently protected credentials.

addresses: CWE-522

Rules of behavior include credential protection and non-sharing requirements, reducing exposure of insufficiently protected credentials.

addresses: CWE-522

Terminating or revoking credentials stops use of insufficiently protected or lingering credentials post-termination.

addresses: CWE-522

Requiring confidentiality/integrity protection for stored credentials directly mitigates insufficiently protected credentials on disk or in configuration stores.

addresses: CWE-522

Credentials or keys delivered out-of-band are not exposed to interception or inadequate protection on the main transport.

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.5.10 only requires awareness, a topic-specific acceptable-use policy stating expected behaviours/monitoring, and procedures referencing other controls (e.g. access restrictions, marking, disposal); it performs none of the verb on CWE-522's insecure credential transmission/storage, which requires technical protections like encryption or secure channels that this governance clause does not supply.

blocks

A.5.17 mandates secure allocation, transmission, storage, hashing/encryption per 8.24, strong non-reusable passwords, immediate change of defaults/compromise, and no cleartext — directly stopping exploitation of insufficiently protected credentials with only a bounded remainder (e.g. non-password authenticators or post-storage exposure vectors outside its scope).

blocks

A.6.2 sets contractual terms, NDAs, and communicates responsibilities to personnel; it has no technical effect on how credentials are protected in transmission or storage and cannot stop exploitation of CWE-522

blocks

Regular reminders about password security and personal accountability make users less likely to store or transmit credentials in cleartext or other unprotected forms.

blocks

A.8.24's purpose, guidance (b,c), and key management mandate proper cryptography (algorithms, strength, protection of credentials in storage/transmission) per classification, which stops exploitation of insufficiently-protected credentials; remainder is bounded (e.g. non-cryptographic protections like hashing-only or non-crypto obfuscation per CWE-522 details).

blocks

A.8.5 mandates MFA, alternative strong methods, no cleartext transmission/storage of passwords, session termination, brute-force protection and secure log-on procedures that directly stop interception/retrieval of credentials even when they exist, leaving only a bounded remainder (e.g. non-password credentials or post-authentication storage outside log-on flows)

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-522, a class-level weakness. Rules are authored against its narrower children: CWE-260, CWE-523.

References