Cyber Resilience

CVE-2023-40037

Apache Nifi 1.21.0 – 1.23.1

Published
18 August 2023
Modified
13 February 2025
Patch / advisory
View 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 0.015 73th percentile
Risk Priority 54 floored blend · peak EPSS

Summary

CVE-2023-40037 is a medium-severity Incomplete List of Disallowed Inputs (CWE-184) vulnerability in Apache Nifi. Its CVSS base score is 6.5 (Medium).

Operationally, exploitation aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique Exploit Public-Facing Application (T1190); ranked in the top 27% of CVEs by exploit likelihood; it is not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog.

EU & UK References

Vulnerability Data

Apache NiFi 1.21.0 through 1.23.0 support JDBC and JNDI JMS access in several Processors and Controller Services with connection URL validation that does not provide sufficient protection against crafted inputs. An authenticated and authorized user can bypass connection URL validation…

more

using custom input formatting. The resolution enhances connection URL validation and introduces validation for additional related properties. Upgrading to Apache NiFi 1.23.1 is the recommended mitigation.

CWE(s)
CWE-184CWE-697

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.
attack.mitre.org →
T1027 Obfuscated Files or Information Stealth
Adversaries may attempt to make an executable or file difficult to discover or analyze by encrypting, encoding, or otherwise obfuscating its contents on the system or in transit.
attack.mitre.org →
T1068 Exploitation for Privilege Escalation Privilege Escalation
Adversaries may exploit software vulnerabilities in an attempt to elevate privileges.
attack.mitre.org →
T1203 Exploitation for Client Execution Execution
Adversaries may exploit software vulnerabilities in client applications to execute code.
attack.mitre.org →
T1212 Exploitation for Credential Access Credential Access
Adversaries may exploit software vulnerabilities in an attempt to collect credentials.
attack.mitre.org →
T1548 Abuse Elevation Control Mechanism Privilege Escalation
Adversaries may circumvent mechanisms designed to control privilege elevation to gain higher-level permissions.
attack.mitre.org →
Derived from this CVE’s CWE(s) via the direct CWE→ATT&CK cross-walk.

CVEs Like This One

CVE-2026-44911Same product: Apache Nifi
CVE-2026-68980Same product: Apache Nifi
CVE-2026-62354Same product: Apache Nifi
CVE-2026-39816Same product: Apache Nifi
CVE-2026-44914Same product: Apache Nifi
CVE-2024-56512Same product: Apache Nifi
CVE-2026-68979Same product: Apache Nifi
CVE-2026-25903Same product: Apache Nifi
CVE-2023-34212Same product: Apache Nifi
CVE-2025-66524Same product: Apache Nifi

Affected Assets

apache
nifi
1.21.0 — 1.23.1

Mitigating Controls

Control response

Prevent
Stop it (NIST 800-53)

—

Detect
Catch it (NIST detect / respond)

—

Harden
Shrink the surface (DISA STIG)
  • 2 hardening rules · 1 OS baseline
Validate
Prove the fix (OWASP ASVS)
  • V3.5.2
  • V4.4.2
  • V16.2.5

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.

SI-8 Spam Protection
addresses: CWE-184

Spam filters rely on evolving blacklists, signatures, and heuristics of disallowed message patterns; keeping them updated per the control directly mitigates incomplete disallowed-input lists.

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
prevents

Secure SDLC practices directly require complete, positive input validation instead of incomplete denylists.

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.8.29 Security testing in development and acceptance mostly match
finds

Security testing can discover missing input checks, but does not prevent the weakness during development.

A.8.25 Secure development life cycle partial match
prevents

Secure development lifecycle includes code review and testing that can catch incorrect comparison logic.

A.8.26 Application security requirements partial match
prevents

Application security requirements can mandate complete input validation rules, but the control itself does not prescribe how to build those rules.

A.8.27 Secure system architecture and engineering principles partial match
prevents

Secure architecture principles include robust input validation design, yet the control is broader than this single weakness.

A.8.28 Secure coding partial match
prevents

Secure coding standards directly require exhaustive allow-lists or complete deny-lists for inputs, addressing the root cause of incomplete disallowed-input lists.

A.8.5 Secure authentication partial match
degrades

Secure authentication mechanisms rely on correct comparison of credentials or tokens.

References