Cyber Resilience

CVE-2023-50291

Exposed Creds in Apache Solr 6.0.0 – 8.11.3

Published
09 February 2024
Modified
15 May 2025
Patch / advisory
CVSS Score v3.1 7.5
Click a component to see what it means
Raw vectorCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N
EPSS Score 0.033 87th percentile
Risk Priority 62 floored blend · peak EPSS

Summary

CVE-2023-50291 is a high-severity Insufficiently Protected Credentials (CWE-522) vulnerability in Apache Solr. Its CVSS base score is 7.5 (High).

Operationally, exploitation aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique Unsecured Credentials (T1552); ranked in the top 13% of CVEs by exploit likelihood; it is not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog.

The strongest mitigations our analysis identified map to SC-28 (Protection of Information at Rest) and SC-8 (Transmission Confidentiality and Integrity) — see the control section below for these in your framework.

OWASP Top 10 for Web (2025)

EU & UK References

Vulnerability Data

Insufficiently Protected Credentials vulnerability in Apache Solr. This issue affects Apache Solr: from 6.0.0 through 8.11.2, from 9.0.0 before 9.3.0. One of the two endpoints that publishes the Solr process' Java system properties, /admin/info/properties, was only setup to hide system…

more

properties that had "password" contained in the name. There are a number of sensitive system properties, such as "basicauth" and "aws.secretKey" do not contain "password", thus their values were published via the "/admin/info/properties" endpoint. This endpoint populates the list of System Properties on the home screen of the Solr Admin page, making the exposed credentials visible in the UI. This /admin/info/properties endpoint is protected under the "config-read" permission. Therefore, Solr Clouds with Authorization enabled will only be vulnerable through logged-in users that have the "config-read" permission. Users are recommended to upgrade to version 9.3.0 or 8.11.3, which fixes the issue. A single option now controls hiding Java system property for all endpoints, "-Dsolr.hiddenSysProps". By default all known sensitive properties are hidden (including "-Dbasicauth"), as well as any property with a name containing "secret" or "password". Users who cannot upgrade can also use the following Java system property to fix the issue: '-Dsolr.redaction.system.pattern=.*(password|secret|basicauth).*'

CWE(s)

Related Threats

MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise Techniques

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.
T1021 Remote Services Lateral Movement
Adversaries may use [Valid Accounts](https://attack.
T1078 Valid Accounts Stealth
Adversaries may obtain and abuse credentials of existing accounts as a means of gaining Initial Access, Persistence, Privilege Escalation, or Defense Evasion.
T1114.002 Remote Email Collection Collection
Adversaries may target an Exchange server, Office 365, or Google Workspace to collect sensitive information.
T1550.003 Pass the Ticket Lateral Movement
Adversaries may “pass the ticket” using stolen Kerberos tickets to move laterally within an environment, bypassing normal system access controls.
Derived from this CVE’s CWE(s) via the direct CWE→ATT&CK cross-walk.

CVEs Like This One

CVE-2026-44825Same product: Apache Solr
CVE-2023-50292Same product: Apache Solr
CVE-2024-45217Same product: Apache Solr
CVE-2023-50298Same product: Apache Solr
CVE-2023-50290Same product: Apache Solr
CVE-2024-45216Same product: Apache Solr
CVE-2023-50386Same product: Apache Solr
CVE-2025-58130Same vendor: Apache
CVE-2021-27905Same product: Apache Solr
CVE-2020-13957Same product: Apache Solr

Affected Assets

apache
solr
6.0.0 — 8.11.3 · 9.0.0 — 9.3.0

Mitigating Controls

Control response

Prevent
Stop it (NIST 800-53)

Detect
Catch it (NIST detect / respond)

Harden
Shrink the surface (DISA STIG)
  • 1 hardening rule · 1 OS baseline
Validate
Prove the fix (OWASP ASVS)
  • V11.3.3

Mitigating Controls (NIST 800-53 r5) AI

Protection of information at rest requires encryption or equivalent safeguards for stored credentials.

Transmission confidentiality and integrity enforcement stops credentials from being sent in plaintext or without protection.

Authenticator management requires secure generation, storage, and distribution of credentials, directly stopping insecure methods.

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.DS-01 full match
prevents

Encrypting data-at-rest fully prevents insecure credential storage while only partially satisfying the broader data-protection outcome.

PR.DS-02 full match
prevents

Encrypting data-in-transit fully prevents interception of credentials in motion while only partially satisfying the broader data-protection outcome.

PR.AA-01 mostly match
prevents

Credential management practices directly reduce insecure storage/transmission but do not guarantee encryption or transport protection.

PR.AA-04 mostly match
prevents

Protecting identity assertions covers conveyance of credentials but is narrower than full credential lifecycle protection.

PR.AA-03 partial match
prevents

Authentication policies can enforce stronger credential handling yet address only verification, not storage or transit protection.

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

Requiring protected storage, transmission, and non-display of passwords prevents credentials from being stored or sent in clear text where they can be harvested by unauthorized actors.

prevents

Protecting secret and private keys against disclosure and unauthorized use decreases the exposure of credentials that are stored or transmitted in recoverable form.

prevents

Forbidding clear-text transmission and display of passwords, plus the use of stronger alternatives to passwords, prevents credentials from being obtained or reused by attackers.

prevents

Acceptable-use expectations that cover protection of credentials and information assets throughout their lifecycle discourage practices that expose or mishandle authentication material.

prevents

Contractual clauses that survive termination help ensure that credentials and other secrets are not retained or misused after employment ends.

prevents

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

References