CVE-2023-43791Public exploitNetwork attack vector

Administrator impersonation via hardcoded session-signing secret

Published Nov 9, 2023 · Updated Sep 3, 2024

Hardcoded signing secret in HumanSignal Label Studio 1.8.1 and earlier allows remote authenticated users to forge administrator sessions. The settings module assigns the same literal Django SECRET_KEY to every instance, enabling valid signatures once a target account's password hash is known. Exploitation requires a low-privilege account and the separate ORM leak to obtain that hash; a successful chain grants Django super-administrator access.

CVSS severity9.8
Critical
EPSS probability1.24%
Next 30 days · Sep 16, 2026
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Based on sourced intelligence
Hinoki checkNot available
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Summary

What happened

Hardcoded signing secret in HumanSignal Label Studio 1.8.1 and earlier allows remote authenticated users to forge administrator sessions. The settings module assigns the same literal Django SECRET_KEY to every instance, enabling valid signatures once a target account's password hash is known. Exploitation requires a low-privilege account and the separate ORM leak to obtain that hash; a successful chain grants Django super-administrator access.

The record

CVE
CVE-2023-43791
Published
Nov 9, 2023
Updated
Sep 3, 2024
Vendor
HumanSignal
Product
Label Studio
Classifications
CWE-200, T1550.004
Attack vector
network
Privileges
authenticated

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. Nov 9, 2023CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
  2. Sep 3, 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=<= 1.8.1

What conditions does exploitation require?

Attack vectornetwork
Required privilegesauthenticated

What is affected?

HumanSignal · Label Studioversion=<= 1.8.1

Published CVSS scores

9.8GitHub, Inc.CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
8.8NIST NVDCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

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 10, 2026Sep 16, 2026
Latest reporting daySep 16, 2026
Latest daily unique IPsUnavailable
Prior 30-day averageUnavailable
SourceShadowserver honeypots (KEV)
Vectornetwork
Privilegesauthenticated
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Public exploitPublished

Weakness, pattern, technique

CWE-200Exposure of Sensitive Information to an Unauthorized Actor
T1550.004Use Alternate Authentication Material: Web Session Cookie

Public exploit references

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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