Cyber Resilience

CVE-2023-45809

Info Disclosure in Torchbox Wagtail ≤ 4.1.9

Published
19 October 2023
Modified
21 November 2024
Patch / advisory
CVSS Score v3.1 2.7
Click a component to see what it means
Raw vectorCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:N
EPSS Score 0.0045 37th percentile
Risk Priority 26 floored blend · peak EPSS

Summary

CVE-2023-45809 is a low-severity Exposure of Sensitive Information to an Unauthorized Actor (CWE-200) vulnerability in Torchbox Wagtail. Its CVSS base score is 2.7 (Low).

Operationally, exploitation aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique Token Impersonation/Theft (T1134.001); ranked at the 37th percentile by exploit likelihood (below the median); it is not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog.

OWASP Top 10 for Web (2025)

EU & UK References

Vulnerability Data

Wagtail is an open source content management system built on Django. A user with a limited-permission editor account for the Wagtail admin can make a direct URL request to the admin view that handles bulk actions on user accounts. While…

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authentication rules prevent the user from making any changes, the error message discloses the display names of user accounts, and by modifying URL parameters, the user can retrieve the display name for any user. The vulnerability is not exploitable by an ordinary site visitor without access to the Wagtail admin. Patched versions have been released as Wagtail 4.1.8 (LTS), 5.0.5 and 5.1.3. The fix is also included in Release Candidate 1 of the forthcoming Wagtail 5.2 release. Users are advised to upgrade. There are no known workarounds for this vulnerability.

CWE(s)

Related Threats

MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise Techniques

T1134.001 Token Impersonation/Theft Stealth
Adversaries may duplicate then impersonate another user's existing token to escalate privileges and bypass access controls.
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.
T1552 Unsecured Credentials Credential Access
Adversaries may search compromised systems to find and obtain insecurely stored credentials.
T1552.001 Credentials In Files Credential Access
Adversaries may search local file systems and remote file shares for files containing insecurely stored credentials.
T1552.002 Credentials in Registry Credential Access
Adversaries may search the Registry on compromised systems for insecurely stored credentials.
T1552.004 Private Keys Credential Access
Adversaries may search for private key certificate files on compromised systems for insecurely stored credentials.
Derived from this CVE’s CWE(s) via the direct CWE→ATT&CK cross-walk.

CVEs Like This One

CVE-2026-54263Same product: Torchbox Wagtail
CVE-2026-28223Same product: Torchbox Wagtail
CVE-2023-28836Same product: Torchbox Wagtail
CVE-2026-28222Same product: Torchbox Wagtail
CVE-2026-25517Same product: Torchbox Wagtail
CVE-2026-54262Same product: Torchbox Wagtail
CVE-2026-54260Same product: Torchbox Wagtail
CVE-2026-44198Same product: Torchbox Wagtail
CVE-2024-39317Same product: Torchbox Wagtail
CVE-2023-28837Same product: Torchbox Wagtail

Affected Assets

torchbox
wagtail
≤ 4.1.9 · 4.2 — 5.0.5 · 5.1 — 5.1.3

Mitigating Controls

Control response

Prevent
Stop it (NIST 800-53)

Detect
Catch it (NIST detect / respond)

Harden
Shrink the surface (DISA STIG)
  • 7 hardening rules · 6 OS baselines
Validate
Prove the fix (OWASP ASVS)
  • V10.4.9
  • V11.7.1
  • V14.1.2
  • V14.2.4

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-200 CWE-532

Monitoring directly detects unauthorized disclosure of sensitive information, enabling response to exposures.

addresses: CWE-200 CWE-532

Coordinating audit logging across organizational boundaries reduces the risk of sensitive audit data being exposed to unauthorized actors during transmission.

addresses: CWE-200 CWE-532

A data action map identifies locations where sensitive information may be exposed to unauthorized actors during processing or transfer.

addresses: CWE-200 CWE-532

The control's identification, isolation, alerting, and eradication steps directly limit the impact and exploitation window of unauthorized sensitive information exposure.

addresses: CWE-200 CWE-532

Requiring organization-defined processing conditions on specific PII categories directly reduces the chance that personal data will be exposed to unauthorized actors.

addresses: CWE-200 CWE-532

The assessment process surfaces design decisions that could expose sensitive (including PII) data to unauthorized actors, prompting controls that reduce such exposure.

addresses: CWE-200 CWE-425

Decoys supply misleading data and log access attempts, directly detecting and deflecting unauthorized information exposure.

addresses: CWE-200 CWE-532

Directly prevents exposure of critical organizational information by applying OPSEC processes across the SDLC.

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-05 full match
prevents

Directly requires policy-driven definition, enforcement, and review of authorizations on resources such as URLs.

PR.DS-10 mostly match
prevents

PR.DS-10 mostly prevents CWE-200 by directly eliminating unauthorized access to sensitive data-in-use, yet only partially addresses the weakness because CWE-200 spans many other exposure vectors outside runtime protection.

PR.IR-01 mostly match
prevents

PR.IR-01's segmentation/zero-trust controls largely eliminate network-level unauthorized access paths that enable exposure, yet CWE-200 spans many additional vectors (API responses, logs, app logic) that network controls alone cannot close.

PR.PS-06 mostly match
prevents

Secure SDLC practices catch most exposure flaws via design, testing and release controls, yet CWE-200 spans runtime/config issues a single development outcome cannot fully close.

PR.AA-01 partial match
prevents

PR.AA-01 supplies proper credential lifecycle controls that reduce unauthorized access paths, yet leaves many other exposure vectors (error messages, logging, side channels, etc.) unaddressed.

PR.AA-03 partial match
prevents

Authentication verifies actor identity and is a prerequisite for access decisions, yet addresses only one facet of the broad set of exposure vectors in CWE-200.

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.

prevents

Restricting anonymous or unknown access and encrypting high-value information limits the exposure of sensitive data that would otherwise be obtainable by unauthorized actors.

prevents

Suppressing system details, error specifics, and previous log-on information until successful authentication reduces the information an unauthenticated attacker can gather.

prevents

By requiring owners to assign sensitivity labels and corresponding handling rules, the control ensures that information is not left unmarked and therefore reduces the chance that sensitive data will be exposed to unauthorized actors.

prevents

Requiring encryption, access controls, and recipient authentication for transfers directly reduces the chance that sensitive data reaches an unauthorized observer.

prevents

Secure delivery, protected storage, and confidentiality of allocation records limit exposure of authentication material to unauthorized observers.

prevents

Requiring defined procedures, assigned roles, and technical/organizational measures for handling PII reduces the chance that sensitive personal data will be exposed to unauthorized actors through inadequate handling or missing safeguards.

Hardening callouts derived

Configuration rules from DISA STIG baselines that bear on weaknesses of the type cited by this CVE. Each rule is shown with the relationship its mapping actually records, against the CWE it was authored against. Derived via CVE→CWE over `controls_xwalks` (authoritative rows only; rows rated `none` are excluded).

Ubuntu 22.04 (1 rule)
  • V-260470 Ubuntu 22.04 LTS, when booted, must require authentication upon booting into single-user and maintenance modes. prevents CWE-200
Ubuntu 24.04 (2 rules)
  • V-270647 Ubuntu 24.04 LTS must not have the telnet package installed. prevents CWE-200
  • V-270675 Ubuntu 24.04 LTS when booted must require authentication upon booting into single-user and maintenance modes. prevents CWE-200
Windows 10 (1 rule)
  • V-220737 Administrative accounts must not be used with applications that access the Internet, such as web browsers, or with potential Internet sources, such as email. prevents CWE-200
Windows Server 2016 (1 rule)
  • V-224974 Domain-created Active Directory Organizational Unit (OU) objects must have proper access control permissions. prevents CWE-200
Windows Server 2019 (1 rule)
  • V-205743 Windows Server 2019 organization created Active Directory Organizational Unit (OU) objects must have proper access control permissions. prevents CWE-200
Windows Server 2022 (1 rule)
  • V-254395 Windows Server 2022 organization created Active Directory Organizational Unit (OU) objects must have proper access control permissions. prevents CWE-200

References