How severe is CVE-2023-48643?

CVE-2023-48643 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 9.8, rated critical severity. It is exploitable over network with low attack complexity, requires no privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is high, integrity high, and availability high.

Is CVE-2023-48643 being actively exploited?

It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 1% (62nd percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

How do I fix CVE-2023-48643?

Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround. Given its critical severity, prioritise patching exposed systems.

Does CVE-2023-48643 have an EU (EUVD) identifier?

Yes. CVE-2023-48643 is tracked in the ENISA EU Vulnerability Database (EUVD) as EUVD-2023-52693.

When was CVE-2023-48643 published?

CVE-2023-48643 was published on 2024-05-16 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

CVE-2023-48643

CVE-2023-48643 is a critical-severity vulnerability with a CVSS 3.x base score of 9.8. It is not currently listed as actively exploited by CISA, and its EPSS exploit-prediction score is low. The underlying weakness is classified as CWE-94.

Key facts

Severity: Critical (CVSS 3.x base score 9.8)
EPSS exploit prediction: 1% (62nd percentile)
Actively exploited: Not listed in CISA KEV
EU (EUVD) id: EUVD-2023-52693
Weakness: CWE-94
Published: 2024-05-16
Last modified: 2026-06-17

Description

Shrubbery tac_plus 2.x, 3.x. and 4.x through F4.0.4.28 allows unauthenticated Remote Command Execution. The product allows users to configure authorization checks as shell commands through the tac_plus.cfg configuration file. These are executed when a client sends an authorization request with a username that has pre-authorization directives configured. However, it is possible to inject additional commands into these checks because strings from TACACS+ packets are used as command-line arguments. If the installation lacks a a pre-shared secret (there is no pre-shared secret by default), then the injection can be triggered without authentication. (The attacker needs to know a username configured to use a pre-authorization command.) NOTE: this is related to CVE-2023-45239 but the issue is in the original Shrubbery product, not Meta's fork.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2023-48643?: Shrubbery tac_plus 2.x, 3.x. and 4.x through F4.0.4.28 allows unauthenticated Remote Command Execution. The product allows users to configure authorization checks as shell commands through the tac_plus.cfg configuration file. These are executed when a client sends an authorization request with a username that has pre-authorization directives configured. However, it is possible to inject additional commands into these checks because strings from TACACS+ packets are used as command-line arguments. If the installation lacks a a pre-shared secret (there is no pre-shared secret by default), then the injection can be triggered without authentication. (The attacker needs to know a username configured to use a pre-authorization command.) NOTE: this is related to CVE-2023-45239 but the issue is in the original Shrubbery product, not Meta's fork.
How severe is CVE-2023-48643?: CVE-2023-48643 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 9.8, rated critical severity. It is exploitable over network with low attack complexity, requires no privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is high, integrity high, and availability high.
Is CVE-2023-48643 being actively exploited?: It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 1% (62nd percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
How do I fix CVE-2023-48643?: Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround. Given its critical severity, prioritise patching exposed systems.
Does CVE-2023-48643 have an EU (EUVD) identifier?: Yes. CVE-2023-48643 is tracked in the ENISA EU Vulnerability Database (EUVD) as EUVD-2023-52693.
When was CVE-2023-48643 published?: CVE-2023-48643 was published on 2024-05-16 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

References

https://github.com/takeshixx/tac_plus-pre-auth-rce

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