CVE-2023-53894
Dulldusk Phpfilemanager 1.7.9
Raw vector
CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:X/CR:X/IR:X/AR:X/MAV:X/MAC:X/MAT:X/MPR:X/MUI:X/MVC:X/MVI:X/MVA:X/MSC:X/MSI:X/MSA:X/S:X/AU:X/R:X/V:X/RE:X/U:XSummary
CVE-2023-53894 is a critical-severity Weak Authentication (CWE-1390) vulnerability in Dulldusk Phpfilemanager. Its CVSS base score is 9.3 (Critical).
Operationally, exploitation aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique Brute Force (T1110); ranked at the 45th percentile by exploit likelihood (below the median); it is not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog; a public proof-of-concept is referenced.
The strongest mitigations our analysis identified map to IA-12 (Identity Proofing) and IA-2 (Identification and Authentication (Organizational Users)) — see the control section below for these in your framework.
Deeper analysis AI-assisted summary
Synthesised by an AI model from the NVD description and linked references — a reading aid, not an authoritative source.
CVE-2023-53894 is an authentication bypass vulnerability in phpfm version 1.7.9, a PHP-based file manager. The flaw stems from loose type comparison in password hash validation, allowing attackers to craft specific password hashes beginning with "0e" or "00e" that evaluate as equal to the expected hash (such as MD5 hashes starting with those prefixes). This issue is classified under CWE-1390 and carries a CVSS v3.1 base score of 9.8 (AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H), indicating critical severity due to its network accessibility and high impact on confidentiality, integrity, and availability.
Remote attackers require no privileges or user interaction to exploit this vulnerability over the network. By submitting a specially crafted password hash during login, they can bypass authentication entirely and gain unauthorized access to the phpfm interface. Once logged in, attackers can upload malicious PHP files to the server, potentially leading to remote code execution, full server compromise, or further lateral movement depending on server permissions and configuration.
Advisories and references, including those from Vulncheck (https://www.vulncheck.com/advisories/phpfm-authentication-bypass-via-type-juggling-vulnerability), Exploit-DB (https://www.exploit-db.com/exploits/51594), and the phpfm project site (https://www.dulldusk.com/phpfm/), document the vulnerability and provide exploit details, but no specific patches or mitigation steps are detailed in the CVE description. Security practitioners should review these sources for updates and consider disabling or upgrading phpfm installations.
OWASP Top 10 for Web (2025)
EU & UK References
- 🇪🇺 ENISA EUVD: EUVD-2023-60196
Vulnerability Data
phpfm 1.7.9 contains an authentication bypass vulnerability that allows attackers to log in by exploiting loose type comparison in password hash validation. Attackers can craft specific password hashes beginning with 0e or 00e to bypass authentication and upload malicious PHP…
more
files to the server.
- CWE(s)
Related Threats
MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise Techniques
CVEs Like This One
Affected Assets
Mitigating Controls
Control response
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- 9 hardening rules · 7 OS baselines
V7.6.1V6.3.6V6.4.2V6.4.4
Mitigating Controls (NIST 800-53 r5) AI
Requires identity proofing at appropriate assurance levels before granting accounts, directly addressing insufficient proof of identity.
Requires unique identification and authentication of users, directly stopping weak mechanisms from being used.
Requires device identification and authentication before establishing connections.
Extends strong identification and authentication requirements to non-organizational users.
Mandates proper authenticator issuance, management, and strength to ensure claimed identities are verified.
Enforces access decisions based on authenticated identities, making weak authentication less exploitable.
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.
Explicitly requires authentication of users/services/hardware with MFA and password-strength controls.
Identity proofing and binding is a core prerequisite for non-weak authentication.
Credential management directly supports stronger authentication but does not guarantee proof of identity.
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.
Mandating multi-factor and non-password authentication techniques counters the use of inherently weak single-factor or password-only authentication mechanisms.
Strong-password and non-reuse requirements raise the bar against weak single-factor authentication that can be exploited via guessing or credential stuffing.
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).
Oracle Linux 8 (1 rule)
- V-248827 OL 8 must not have the rsh-server package installed. prevents CWE-1390
RHEL 7 (1 rule)
- V-204442 The Red Hat Enterprise Linux operating system must not have the rsh-server package installed. prevents CWE-1390
RHEL 8 (1 rule)
- V-230492 RHEL 8 must not have the rsh-server package installed. prevents CWE-1390
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-1390
Windows 10 (1 rule)
- V-220865 The Windows Remote Management (WinRM) service must not use Basic authentication. prevents CWE-1390
Windows 11 (1 rule)
- V-253418 The Windows Remote Management (WinRM) service must not use Basic authentication. prevents CWE-1390