CVE-2023-5552

PDF decryption via sender-specified password disclosure

Published Oct 17, 2023 · Updated Sep 13, 2024

Password disclosure in Sophos Firewall 19.5.3 and earlier allows attackers with full email access to decrypt SPX-protected PDFs. Sophos has not published the faulty code path or the operation that exposes the password used by the SPX sender-specified mode. Exploitation requires an SPX template configured with Password type set to Specified by sender and full access to the recipient's email, and it exposes only the protected PDF contents.

CVSS severity7.1
High
EPSS probability0.50%
Next 30 days · Sep 16, 2026
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Based on sourced intelligence
Hinoki checkNot available
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Summary

What happened

Password disclosure in Sophos Firewall 19.5.3 and earlier allows attackers with full email access to decrypt SPX-protected PDFs. Sophos has not published the faulty code path or the operation that exposes the password used by the SPX sender-specified mode. Exploitation requires an SPX template configured with Password type set to Specified by sender and full access to the recipient's email, and it exposes only the protected PDF contents.

The record

CVE
CVE-2023-5552
Published
Oct 17, 2023
Updated
Sep 13, 2024
Vendor
Sophos
Product
Sophos Firewall
Classifications
CWE-522, CWE-200
Attack vector
local
Privileges
unauthenticated

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. Oct 17, 2023CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
  2. Sep 13, 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?

Affected versions are unavailable in this record. Check the vendor advisory for version and patch details.

What conditions does exploitation require?

Attack vectorlocal
Required privilegesunauthenticated

What is affected?

Sophos · Sophos FirewallAffected versions are unavailable in this record.

Published CVSS scores

7.1Sophos LimitedCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:N/A:N
7.5NISTCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/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)
Vectorlocal
Privilegesunauthenticated
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Public exploitUnconfirmed

Weakness, pattern, technique

CWE-522Insufficiently Protected Credentials
CWE-200Exposure of Sensitive Information to an Unauthorized Actor

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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