What is CVE-2023-38693?

CVE-2023-38693 is a critical-severity vulnerability in Lucee, classified under Improper Restriction of XML External Entity Reference (XXE). CVSS score: 9.8/10. Published 2025-03-05.

How severe is CVE-2023-38693?

Critical severity. CVSS v3 base score is 9.8 out of 10.

XXE in Lucee

CVE-2023-38693

Lucee Server (or simply Lucee) is a dynamic, Java based, tag and scripting language used for rapid web application development. The Lucee REST endpoint is vulnerable to RCE via an XML XXE attack. This vulnerability is fixed in Lucee 5.4.3.2, 5.3.12.1, 5.3.7.59, 5.3.8.236, and 5.3.9.173.

Vulnerability class: XXE (XML External Entity)

EPSS: 0.008 (51.6th percentile) — read the EPSS interpretation.

CVSS v3 metric

CVSS v3 base score 9.8 (Critical). Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H.

Affected products

Lucee — versions >= 5.4.0.0, < 5.4.3.2, >= 5.3.12.0, < 5.3.12.1, < 5.3.7.59

Weakness classification (CWE)

CWE-611 — Improper Restriction of XML External Entity Reference (XXE)

References

security-advisories@github.com (x_refsource_CONFIRM)

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2023-38693?: CVE-2023-38693 is a critical-severity vulnerability in Lucee, classified under Improper Restriction of XML External Entity Reference (XXE). CVSS score: 9.8/10. Published 2025-03-05.
How severe is CVE-2023-38693?: Critical severity. CVSS v3 base score is 9.8 out of 10.