CriticalCVE-2023-47246

    SysAid Server Path Traversal Vulnerability (CVE-2023-47246)

    Published In CISA KEV since Sources: pwn.watch, CVE.org

    What is affected, what to do

    In SysAid On-Premise before 23.3.36, a path traversal vulnerability leads to code execution after an attacker writes a file to the Tomcat webroot, as exploited in the wild in November 2023.

    The vulnerability is being actively exploited; treat it as a priority. CISA lists it as used in ransomware campaigns. Update Sysaid to version 23.3.36. Immediate actions, mitigation and detection rules are in the runbook below.

    Affected
    • Sysaid lt *..23.3.36
    Fixed in
    • Sysaid 23.3.36

    Not sure whether and how you are affected? Ask a question about this vulnerability

    Metrics

    9.8

    Priority

    XIEM Effective CVSS: highest available CVSS rating from NVD and vendor data.

    Source: NVD, CVSS v3

    9.8

    CVSS v3

    Severity Critical on the scale from 0 to 10.

    Source: pwn.watch, CVE.org

    98.9 %

    EPSS score

    High — model estimates ≥ 50% chance of real-world exploitation within 30 days.

    Source: FIRST EPSS, percentile 99.93

    Show all metrics
    Severity
    Critical
    Priority (0–325)

    The priority score is a consolidated metric that condenses several individual signals into a single, action-guiding ranking: technical severity (CVSS), exploitation likelihood (EPSS), known-exploited status (KEV) and the context of the affected asset. The aim is to answer the only truly important question in vulnerability management: what first?

    Read in glossary
    257.69 Methodology
    Exploit maturity

    An exploit is code or a technique that specifically uses a concrete vulnerability to force unintended behaviour — such as executing code or escalating privileges. It is the tool that turns a theoretical flaw into a practical attack.

    Read in glossary
    actively exploited
    XIEM Effective CVSS

    XIEM® is the tiered managed-security operating model from NEOSEC and a registered trademark of NEOSEC GmbH. It extends classic SIEM — the central collection, normalisation and correlation of security-relevant events — with endpoint forensics, network visibility and deception technology, and consolidates them into three building tiers: Sentry, Orchestrate and Command.

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    9.8 Methodology
    CVSS v3

    CVSS is the globally established, open standard for assessing the technical severity of a vulnerability on a scale from 0 to 10. It describes how easily a flaw can be exploited and what damage it can cause — but not how likely its actual exploitation is. CVSS and the complementary EPSS deliberately answer different questions.

    Read in glossary
    9.8
    EPSS score

    The EPSS score is the absolute model output for an individual vulnerability: the estimated probability of real-world exploitation within the next 30 days, expressed as a value between 0 and 1 (i.e. 0 % to 100 %). A score of 0.42 means „the model estimates a 42 % chance of real-world exploitation within 30 days“.

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    98.9 %
    High — model estimates ≥ 50% chance of real-world exploitation within 30 days.
    EPSS percentile

    The EPSS percentile is the relative position of a vulnerability within all EPSS-scored CVEs, expressed as a value between 0 and 1. A percentile of 0.90 means „this CVE has a higher EPSS score than 90 % of all other scored CVEs“. Unlike the EPSS score, it is not a probability — but a positioning within a ranking.

    Read in glossary
    99.93
    Critical — this CVE ranks in the top fifth of all CVEs scored today (rank ≥ 80%).
    KEV status

    The KEV catalogue is a list maintained by the US authority CISA of vulnerabilities for which active exploitation in the wild has been confirmed. It answers not the question „how severe?“ but „is it already being attacked?“ — thereby sharply prioritising patching.

    Read in glossary
    Actively exploited
    Published
    In CISA KEV since

    The KEV catalogue is a list maintained by the US authority CISA of vulnerabilities for which active exploitation in the wild has been confirmed. It answers not the question „how severe?“ but „is it already being attacked?“ — thereby sharply prioritising patching.

    Read in glossary

    Response and mitigation

    Why act now?

    Prioritisation rationale

    This flaw is network-reachable without authentication or user interaction and leads straight to code execution by dropping an archive into the Tomcat webroot. It sits among the CVEs most likely to be exploited, and CISA flags known use in ransomware campaigns. Attackers favour ITSM platforms like SysAid as a beachhead because they concentrate privileged domain credentials and software-deployment reach across the whole endpoint estate. Treat any unpatched instance, and especially an internet-facing one, as critical and as potentially already compromised: patching plus a compromise assessment should pre-empt all non-critical change work.

    1. Runbook step 1

      Immediate response (0-24 h)

      • Check versions and upgrade to 23.3.36 or later: Every SysAid On-Premise instance before 23.3.36 is vulnerable. Per the CVE description, 23.3.36 is the first unaffected release. A patch is available from the vendor; check the SysAid advisory for the currently recommended build. SysAid Cloud is not in scope per the description.
      • Cut internet exposure now: If the SysAid server is reachable from the internet (Tomcat HTTP/HTTPS port, commonly 8080/8443 or 80/443 behind a reverse proxy), restrict access to VPN or internal ranges until patched. If that isn't possible, take the instance offline.
      • Run a compromise check before patching: Inspect the webapps directory of the SysAid Tomcat install for unknown .war archives, exploded folders and .jsp files. The exploit chain writes files into the Tomcat webroot, and patching does not remove webshells already in place.
      • Preserve evidence if anything looks off: Before any cleanup, capture memory, Tomcat logs (localhost_access_log*, catalina*), SysAid logs and the full webapps tree. Then network-isolate the host via EDR.
      • Rotate credentials: SysAid typically stores privileged accounts, such as AD/LDAP bind accounts, database credentials and agent/deployment credentials. On suspected compromise, rotate every service account stored in SysAid plus the server's local admin passwords.
      • Check reporting duties: For a confirmed compromise, mind the NIS2 24-hour early-warning deadline to your national CSIRT/authority (BSI in Germany).

    2. Runbook step 2

      Mitigation layers

      • Network segmentation: Move the SysAid server into a management segment. Allow inbound only from helpdesk and agent subnets. Allow outbound only to required destinations (mail relay, update servers). Block general outbound internet access to stop webshell staging and C2.
      • WAF/reverse proxy: Block requests to SysAid that carry traversal sequences in path, query or multipart fields: ../, ..\, %2e%2e, %2f, %5c, ..%2f, %252e. Also drop uploads with WAR/ZIP magic bytes (PK\x03\x04) to endpoints that shouldn't receive archives.
      • IPS: Enable vendor signatures for CVE-2023-47246 (Suricata ET, Snort, Palo Alto, Fortinet). Run them in blocking mode on the segment in front of SysAid.
      • Tomcat hardening: Set autoDeploy="false" in server.xml and keep deployOnStartup restrictive, so dropped WAR files are not unpacked and executed automatically. Where operationally feasible, remove the Tomcat service account's write access to webapps via NTFS ACLs.
      • Endpoint hardening: Use EDR or ASR rules to stop the SysAid Java process (java.exe/javaw.exe) from spawning shells or LOLBins (cmd.exe, powershell.exe, rundll32.exe, certutil.exe).
      • Least privilege: Don't run the SysAid service as LocalSystem; use a dedicated non-admin service account instead. Scope stored AD accounts down to read-only.

    3. Runbook step 3

      Detection rules

      • Sysmon EID 11 / EDR file events: New .war or .jsp files under the SysAid Tomcat webapps path that don't trace back to a vendor update. KQL: DeviceFileEvents | where FolderPath has @"tomcat\webapps" and (FileName endswith ".war" or FileName endswith ".jsp")
      • Process ancestry (Sysmon EID 1 / Security 4688): java.exe from the SysAid directory spawning cmd.exe, powershell.exe, whoami.exe, net.exe, certutil.exe or rundll32.exe. Sigma shape: ParentImage|endswith: '\java.exe' AND ParentCommandLine|contains: 'SysAid' AND Image|endswith: ['\cmd.exe','\powershell.exe'].
      • Web server logs: In the Tomcat access logs, look for POST requests with .., %2e%2e or %2f in URI or parameters, followed by GETs to new, unfamiliar context paths (/<random>/*.jsp). SPL: index=web host=sysaid* (uri="*..*" OR uri="*%2e%2e*") method=POST | stats count by src_ip, uri
      • PowerShell and persistence: EID 4104 (Script Block Logging) showing download cradles (DownloadString, IEX, Invoke-WebRequest) on the SysAid host. Also watch EID 7045 and 4698 for newly created services or scheduled tasks.
      • Network telemetry (Zeek/Suricata): Outbound sessions from the SysAid server to unknown external IPs, especially HTTP(S) beaconing or executable downloads. Also new SMB, RDP or WinRM connections from the SysAid host to domain controllers or file servers, which indicate lateral movement.

    Detection rules

    No NEOSEC detection rule is available for this vulnerability yet.

    Classification under NIS2 and CRA

    Rule-based classification from exploitation status and severity. It does not replace a case-by-case assessment.

    NIS2

    NIS2 is EU Directive (EU) 2022/2555 to raise the level of cybersecurity across the Union. It substantially broadens obligations compared with the first NIS directive: more sectors, mandatory risk management, staged reporting duties and personal accountability of senior management.

    Read in glossary
    Actively exploited: treat the vulnerability as a priority in vulnerability handling under Art. 21(2)(e) NIS2. If it is exploited in your environment, check the reporting obligation under Art. 23 (early warning within 24 hours).
    CRA

    The CRA is EU Regulation (EU) 2024/2847 setting horizontal cybersecurity requirements for „products with digital elements“ — from industrial controllers and software to connected consumer devices. For the first time manufacturers must ensure security across the entire product lifecycle, handle vulnerabilities and provide security updates.

    Read in glossary
    Since 11.09.2026, manufacturers of affected products with digital elements must report actively exploited vulnerabilities under Art. 14 CRA, with an early warning within 24 hours via ENISA's single reporting platform.
    ISO/IEC 27001

    ISO/IEC 27001 is the internationally leading standard for an information security management system (ISMS). It describes a risk-based, process-oriented framework to systematically plan, implement, review and improve information security.

    Read in glossary
    Control A.8.8, management of technical vulnerabilities: assess relevance to your systems, plan remediation and keep evidence.

    Description

    In SysAid On-Premise before 23.3.36, a path traversal vulnerability leads to code execution after an attacker writes a file to the Tomcat webroot, as exploited in the wild in November 2023.

    Source: pwn.watch, CISA KEV Catalog, cvelistv5, NVD (NIST), CVE.org (MITRE)

    Affected products

    The following versions are affected. Older releases of the same product line are also vulnerable unless stated otherwise.

    Affected products
    Affected versionsFixed in
    sysaidsysaid
    • < 23.3.36
    • 23.3.36

    Vendors and products

    Public exploit references

    Publicly reported proof-of-concepts, exploit modules and detection templates for this vulnerability. NEOSEC links to the original sources only and does not provide any exploit code.

    Public exploit references
    CISA KEV CatalogCISA Known Exploited Vulnerability (opens in a new tab)cisa.govactively exploited

    References & sources

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