Improper access control in authentik - CVE-2023-46249
Published: October 28, 2023 / Updated: April 23, 2026
Vulnerability identifier: #VU127141
CSH Severity: High
CVSS v4: 8.6 [CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:A/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N]
CVE-ID: CVE-2023-46249
CWE-ID: CWE-284
Exploitation vector: Remote access
Exploit availability:
No public exploit available
Vulnerability details
The vulnerability allows a remote attacker to take over the installation.
The vulnerability exists due to improper access control in the initial-setup flow when the default admin user has been deleted. A remote attacker can set the password of the default admin user without authentication to take over the installation.
The issue becomes exploitable after the default admin user has been deleted, which causes the initial-setup flow to become available again.
Affected software
authentik
How to mitigate CVE-2023-46249
Install security update from vendor's website.
authentik - addressed in versions 2023.8.4, 2023.10.2