Unauthenticated code execution via unsafe XML deserialization
Published Oct 26, 2023 · Updated Oct 21, 2025
Unsafe deserialization in NextGen Healthcare Mirth Connect before 4.4.1 allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code through XML. The pre-authentication XmlMessageBodyReader passes attacker-supplied XML to XStream, whose denylist permits third-party gadget chains such as InvokerTransformer. A crafted request to an affected API endpoint therefore runs commands with the Mirth Connect service account's privileges without authentication or user interaction.
Summary
What happened
Unsafe deserialization in NextGen Healthcare Mirth Connect before 4.4.1 allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code through XML. The pre-authentication XmlMessageBodyReader passes attacker-supplied XML to XStream, whose denylist permits third-party gadget chains such as InvokerTransformer. A crafted request to an affected API endpoint therefore runs commands with the Mirth Connect service account's privileges without authentication or user interaction.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2023-43208
- Published
- Oct 26, 2023
- Updated
- Oct 21, 2025
- Vendor
- Unknown vendor
- Product
- Unknown product
- Classifications
- CWE-502, CWE-78, T1059, T1190
- Attack vector
- network
- Privileges
- unauthenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Oct 26, 2023CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- Oct 21, 2025Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.
Exploitability
Present is not the same as exploitable
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Is a vulnerable build present?
What conditions does exploitation require?
What is affected?
Affected products and versions are unavailable in this record.
Published CVSS scores
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.
View daily counts
| Reporting day | Unique IPs |
|---|---|
| Sep 10, 2026 | 5 |
| Sep 11, 2026 | 2 |
| Sep 12, 2026 | 1 |
| Sep 13, 2026 | Unavailable |
| Sep 14, 2026 | Unavailable |
| Sep 15, 2026 | 1 |
| Sep 16, 2026 | Unavailable |
Weakness, pattern, technique
Public exploit references
- Horizon3.ai Mirth Connect pre-authentication RCE proof of conceptproof of concept · demonstrated
Labels summarize the accepted research assessment. They do not indicate a test against your environment.
Reported exploitation
- CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog listingknown exploited catalog
Technologies
Your stack
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Your stack
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