Atlassian Confluence Data Center and Server Broken Access Control
A broken-access-control vulnerability in Atlassian Confluence Data Center and Server allows a remote, unauthenticated attacker to create unauthorized Confluence administrator accounts and gain full access to affected instances.
- Vendor
- Atlassian
- Product
- Confluence Data Center and Server
- CVSS
- 9.8
- EPSS (exploit probability)
- 99.2%
- Status
- kevransomware use
- CISA patch-by (BOD 22-01)
- Published
Is CVE-2023-22515 being exploited?
Yes. CISA added CVE-2023-22515 to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog on . CISA only lists a CVE when it has reliable evidence of exploitation in the wild. It is also listed in ENISA's EU Vulnerability Database (EUVD) exploited list. CISA marks it as known to be used in ransomware campaigns.
FIRST's EPSS model puts the probability of exploitation activity in the next 30 days at 99.2% (scored November 7, 2026).
- CISA KEV[ LISTED ]
- ENISA EUVD (exploited)[ LISTED ]
- CIRCL KEV[ — ]
Catalog snapshot 2026-11-13. Full cross-catalog view: /kev-comparison
CVE-2023-22515 timeline
Every event links to its source. Catalog dates are each catalog's own; day offsets count from NVD publication. Data: JSON
What to do
US federal civilian agencies must remediate by (8 days after listing) under BOD 22-01. Everyone else: that deadline is a sensible upper bound, not a target. Vendor guidance and the NVD record are linked under Source above.
CVE-2023-22515 is a maximum-severity broken-access-control vulnerability in Atlassian Confluence Data Center and Server. Exploitation lets a remote, unauthenticated attacker create new Confluence instance administrator accounts and access affected instances directly — no credentials required.
Atlassian disclosed the flaw on October 4, 2023, stating it had already observed active exploitation against a small number of customers prior to the public advisory. CISA added it to the Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog the same week, and Atlassian subsequently confirmed broader exploitation as proof-of-concept details circulated.
Why it mattered
Confluence is a default repository for internal documentation — credentials, architecture diagrams, incident runbooks, and other material attackers prize as a precursor to ransomware deployment or further lateral movement. A flaw that hands out admin accounts to anonymous attackers turns the wiki into a beachhead.
Atlassian’s security advisory and the NVD record above carry patch guidance and affected version ranges. Cloud-hosted Confluence sites were not affected.
Other Atlassian Confluence Server and Data Center CVEs we track
| CVE / Vulnerability | Severity | CVSS | EPSS | Added to KEV |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CVE-2023-22527 Atlassian Confluence Data Center and Server Template Injection Vulnerabilityransomware use | [ CRITICAL ] | 9.8 | 100.0% | |
| CVE-2023-22518 Atlassian Confluence Data Center and Server Improper Authorization Vulnerabilityransomware use | [ CRITICAL ] | 9.8 | 100.0% | |
| CVE-2022-26138 Atlassian Questions For Confluence App Hard-coded Credentials Vulnerability | [ CRITICAL ] | 9.8 | 98.2% | |
| CVE-2022-26134 Atlassian Confluence OGNL Injection Remote Code Executionransomware usewrite-up | [ CRITICAL ] | 9.8 | 100.0% | |
| CVE-2021-26085 Atlassian Confluence Server Pre-Authorization Arbitrary File Read Vulnerabilityransomware use | [ MEDIUM ] | 5.3 | 99.9% | |
| CVE-2021-26084 Atlassian Confluence Server and Data Center Object-Graph Navigation Language (OGNL) Injection Vulnerabilityransomware use | [ CRITICAL ] | 9.8 | 100.0% | |
| CVE-2019-3398 Atlassian Confluence Server and Data Center Path Traversal Vulnerability | [ HIGH ] | 8.8 | 97.0% | |
| CVE-2019-3396 Atlassian Confluence Server and Data Center Server-Side Template Injection Vulnerabilityransomware use | [ CRITICAL ] | 9.8 | 99.9% |
