CVE-2023-38490Network attack vector

File disclosure and SSRF via external entity expansion

Published Jul 27, 2023 · Updated Oct 16, 2024

XXE in affected Content Folder Kirby 3.x releases allows remote attackers to read server files or make server-side requests via crafted XML. Xml::parse() passes attacker-controlled XML to simplexml_load_string() with LIBXML_NOENT, causing external entity references to be resolved and substituted. Exploitation requires site or plugin code to parse externally sourced XML; Kirby core does not call the affected methods, and unexposed sites are unaffected.

CVSS severity6.8
Medium
EPSS probability1.70%
Next 30 days · Sep 16, 2026
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Based on sourced intelligence
Hinoki checkNot available
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Summary

What happened

XXE in affected Content Folder Kirby 3.x releases allows remote attackers to read server files or make server-side requests via crafted XML. Xml::parse() passes attacker-controlled XML to simplexml_load_string() with LIBXML_NOENT, causing external entity references to be resolved and substituted. Exploitation requires site or plugin code to parse externally sourced XML; Kirby core does not call the affected methods, and unexposed sites are unaffected.

The record

CVE
CVE-2023-38490
Published
Jul 27, 2023
Updated
Oct 16, 2024
Vendor
Content Folder
Product
Kirby
Classifications
CWE-776, CWE-611, T1190
Attack vector
network
Privileges
unauthenticated

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. Jul 27, 2023CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
  2. Oct 16, 2024Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.

Exploitability

Present is not the same as exploitable

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Is a vulnerable build present?

Compare these published version ranges with your installed build and any vendor patches.

  1. Affected versionversion=< 3.5.8.3
  2. Affected versionversion=>= 3.6.0, < 3.6.6.3
  3. Affected versionversion=>= 3.7.0, < 3.7.5.2
  4. Affected versionversion=>= 3.8.0, < 3.8.41
  5. Affected versionversion=>= 3.9.0, < 3.9.6

What conditions does exploitation require?

Attack vectornetwork
Required privilegesunauthenticated

What is affected?

Content Folder · Kirbyversion=< 3.5.8.3; version=>= 3.6.0, < 3.6.6.3; version=>= 3.7.0, < 3.7.5.2; version=>= 3.8.0, < 3.8.41; version=>= 3.9.0, < 3.9.6

Published CVSS scores

10.0NIST NVDCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:N
6.8GitHub, Inc.CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:N/A:N

CVSS describes severity. EPSS estimates exploitation probability.

Attacks

What attackers are doing with it

Daily unique IPs observed by Shadowserver honeypots for known exploited vulnerabilities (KEVs). Missing observations do not establish an absence of attacks.

Daily unique IPsNo honeypot observations are available for this CVE in the selected window.

No observations available

Sep 9, 2026Sep 15, 2026
Latest reporting daySep 15, 2026
Latest daily unique IPsUnavailable
Prior 30-day averageUnavailable
SourceShadowserver honeypots (KEV)
Vectornetwork
Privilegesunauthenticated
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Public exploitUnconfirmed

Weakness, pattern, technique

CWE-776Improper Restriction of Recursive Entity References in DTDs ('XML Entity Expansion')
CWE-611Improper Restriction of XML External Entity Reference
T1190Exploit Public-Facing Application

Public exploit references

No public exploit references are available in this record.

Labels summarize the accepted research assessment. They do not indicate a test against your environment.

Technologies

Your stack

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Your stack

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