Security Resilience

CVE-2023-38501

XSS in 9001 Copyparty ≤ 1.8.7

Public PoCXSS
Published
25 July 2023
Modified
04 September 2025
Patch / advisory
CVSS Score v3.1 6.3
Click a component to see what it means
Raw vectorCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:L
EPSS Score 0.092 95th percentile
Risk Priority 75 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-2023-38501 is a medium-severity Cross-site Scripting (CWE-79) vulnerability in 9001 Copyparty. Its CVSS base score is 6.3 (Medium).

Operationally, exploitation aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique Protocol or Service Impersonation (T1001.003); ranked in the top 5% 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.

copyparty is an open-source file server application that was affected by a reflected cross-site scripting vulnerability in versions prior to 1.8.7. The flaw is triggered through the URL parameters ?k304=... and ?setck=..., allowing script injection that executes in the context of the victim’s session. It is tracked as CWE-79 with a CVSS 3.1 base score of 6.3.

An unauthenticated attacker can deliver a crafted link to a copyparty user; if the link is followed, the injected script can perform actions such as moving, deleting, or uploading files under the victim’s account. The attack requires user interaction but needs no prior authentication on the server.

The project’s GitHub security advisory and accompanying patch commit recommend upgrading to version 1.8.7. Administrators are also advised to rotate account passwords unless server logs have been inspected and show no evidence of exploitation. Public references include a PacketStorm proof-of-concept and the official advisory at GHSA-f54q-j679-p9hh.

The CVE carries an EPSS score that has reached a peak of 0.8111, indicating sustained exploitation interest after disclosure.

OWASP Top 10 for Web (2025)

EU & UK References

Vulnerability Data

copyparty is file server software. Prior to version 1.8.7, the application contains a reflected cross-site scripting via URL-parameter `?k304=...` and `?setck=...`. The worst-case outcome of this is being able to move or delete existing files on the server, or upload…

more

new files, using the account of the person who clicks the malicious link. It is recommended to change the passwords of one's copyparty accounts, unless one have inspected one's logs and found no trace of attacks. Version 1.8.7 contains a patch for the issue.

CWE(s)

Related Threats

MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise Techniques

T1001.003 Protocol or Service Impersonation Command And Control
Adversaries may impersonate legitimate protocols or web service traffic to disguise command and control activity and thwart analysis efforts.
T1003.004 LSA Secrets Credential Access
Adversaries with SYSTEM access to a host may attempt to access Local Security Authority (LSA) secrets, which can contain a variety of different credential materials, such as credentials for service accounts.
T1003.005 Cached Domain Credentials Credential Access
Adversaries may attempt to access cached domain credentials used to allow authentication to occur in the event a domain controller is unavailable.
T1007 System Service Discovery Discovery
Adversaries may try to gather information about registered local system services.
T1011 Exfiltration Over Other Network Medium Exfiltration
Adversaries may attempt to exfiltrate data over a different network medium than the command and control channel.
T1012 Query Registry Discovery
Adversaries may interact with the Windows Registry to gather information about the system, configuration, and installed software.
Derived from this CVE’s CWE(s) via the direct CWE→ATT&CK cross-walk.

CVEs Like This One

CVE-2023-48837Shared CWE-79
CVE-2023-29023Shared CWE-79
CVE-2023-48456Shared CWE-79
CVE-2023-35094Shared CWE-79
CVE-2023-37308Shared CWE-79
CVE-2023-37630Shared CWE-79
CVE-2023-22468Shared CWE-79
CVE-2023-27617Shared CWE-79
CVE-2023-25064Shared CWE-79
CVE-2023-38192Shared CWE-79

Affected Assets

9001
copyparty
≤ 1.8.7

Mitigating Controls

Control response

Prevent
Stop it (NIST 800-53)

—

Detect
Catch it (NIST detect / respond)

—

Harden
Shrink the surface (DISA STIG)

—

Validate
Prove the fix (OWASP ASVS)
  • V1.1.2
  • V1.3.2

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-79

Penetration testing submits XSS payloads to web applications, detecting cross-site scripting flaws for subsequent remediation.

addresses: CWE-79

Validates web inputs to reject script-related content that could produce XSS.

addresses: CWE-79

Output validation against expected content can reject or sanitize script content in generated web pages, reducing XSS exploitability.

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-06 mostly match
blocks

Secure SDLC practices directly target introduction of XSS via coding standards/testing (mostly), yet the single broad outcome leaves many specific neutralization vectors unaddressed (partial).

PR.PS-02 partial match
blocks

Patching and EOL replacement can remediate known XSS instances in libraries or frameworks (partial) but do nothing to enforce input neutralization in application code (none).

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.

removes
removes
removes
removes
blocks

A.5.6 only promotes membership in groups to improve knowledge, receive alerts, and share information; it performs no action that stops XSS exploitation (or even the underlying neutralization defect) and is a pure dependency for other controls per the owner's labeling rule.

References