Security Resilience

CVE-2023-41646

Crypto Weakness in Perrymitchell Buttercup 2.20.3

Public PoCCrypto Weakness
Published
07 September 2023
Modified
21 November 2024
Patch / advisory
View advisory
CVSS Score v3.1 5.3
Click a component to see what it means
Raw vectorCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:N
EPSS Score 0.0047 39th percentile
Risk Priority 44 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-2023-41646 is a medium-severity Use of Password Hash With Insufficient Computational Effort (CWE-916) vulnerability in Perrymitchell Buttercup. Its CVSS base score is 5.3 (Medium).

Operationally, exploitation aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique Password Cracking (T1110.002); ranked at the 39th percentile by exploit likelihood (below the median); it is not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog; a public proof-of-concept is referenced.

OWASP Top 10 for Web (2025)

A04:2025 Cryptographic Failures

EU & UK References

Vulnerability Data

Buttercup v2.20.3 allows attackers to obtain the hash of the master password for the password manager via accessing the file /vaults.json/

CWE(s)
CWE-916

Related Threats

MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise Techniques

T1110.002 Password Cracking Credential Access
Adversaries may use password cracking to attempt to recover usable credentials, such as plaintext passwords, when credential material such as password hashes are obtained.
attack.mitre.org →
T1001.001 Junk Data Command And Control
Adversaries may add junk data to protocols used for command and control to make detection more difficult.
attack.mitre.org →
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.
attack.mitre.org →
T1003.007 Proc Filesystem Credential Access
Adversaries may gather credentials from the proc filesystem or `/proc`.
attack.mitre.org →
T1008 Fallback Channels Command And Control
Adversaries may use fallback or alternate communication channels if the primary channel is compromised or inaccessible in order to maintain reliable command and control and to avoid data transfer thresholds.
attack.mitre.org →
T1016 System Network Configuration Discovery Discovery
Adversaries may look for details about the network configuration and settings, such as IP and/or MAC addresses, of systems they access or through information discovery of remote systems.
attack.mitre.org →
Derived from this CVE’s CWE(s) via the direct CWE→ATT&CK cross-walk.

CVEs Like This One

CVE-2026-85497Shared CWE-916
CVE-2025-46413Shared CWE-916
CVE-2025-41692Shared CWE-916
CVE-2026-5040Shared CWE-916
CVE-2024-23091Shared CWE-916
CVE-2023-0567Shared CWE-916
CVE-2024-25607Shared CWE-916
CVE-2026-53762Shared CWE-916
CVE-2024-7701Shared CWE-916
CVE-2024-3183Shared CWE-916

Affected Assets

perrymitchell
buttercup
2.20.3

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)
  • V11.4.2

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.

AT-5 Contacts with Security Groups and Associations
addresses: CWE-916

Information from security contacts highlights password hashing methods with insufficient computational effort, preventing their adoption.

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.AA-03 partial match
blocks

Authentication policies may reference password handling but do not address storage or computational cost of hashes.

PR.DS-01 partial match
blocks

Proper password hashing is a direct instance of using cryptographic hashes to protect data-at-rest.

PR.PS-06 partial match
blocks

Secure development practices explicitly include selection and configuration of strong, computationally expensive password hashes.

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.5.17 Authentication information partial match
degrades

Requires secure handling of authentication information, which includes choosing strong password hashing schemes.

A.8.24 Use of cryptography partial match
blocks

Requires appropriate use of cryptography, which encompasses selecting strong hashing algorithms for passwords.

A.8.26 Application security requirements partial match
removes
A.8.27 Secure system architecture and engineering principles partial match
removes
A.8.28 Secure coding partial match
prevents

Secure coding practices include implementing password storage with adequate computational effort.

A.8.5 Secure authentication partial match
degrades

Mandates secure authentication mechanisms, directly addressing the need for computationally strong password hashes.

References