CVE-2023-0089 | Proofpoint Enterprise Protection webutils authenticated RCE

The webutils in Proofpoint Enterprise Protection (PPS/POD) contain a vulnerability that allows an authenticated user to execute remote code through 'eval injection'. This affects all versions 8.20.0 and below.

Published: 2023-03-08 Last update: 2024-11-21 Assigner: [email protected] Source: [email protected]

Conclusion & alert: CVE-2023-0089 is rated Moderate Risk (61.3/100): CVSS High severity, with medium exploitation likelihood (EPSS 0.79%). Mandatory action: Review affected assets and schedule remediation.

Risk is dynamic; we continuously reassess and refresh what is shown on this page as upstream context changes.

Exploit prediction scoring system (EPSS) score for CVE-2023-0089

EPSS lead: Daily EPSS estimates relative likelihood of exploitation; percentile ranks this CVE among scored vulnerabilities (higher = more severe relative rank).

# Date Old EPSS score New EPSS score Delta (New - Old)
1 2026-03-09 0.46% 0.79% +0.33%
2 2026-02-20 0.38% 0.46% +0.08%
3 2025-12-01 0.38%

Full EPSS history (11 records total)

Common vulnerability scoring system (CVSS) metrics for CVE-2023-0089

CVSS metrics for this CVE.

Base score Version Severity Vector Exploitability Impact Score source
8.8 3.1 HIGH
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H Click to expand
Attack vector (AV:N)
Could be attacked over the internet or any normal routed network—not just someone sitting at the machine.
Attack complexity (AC:L)
Once they can reach the bug, pulling it off is straightforward—no weird race conditions or rare setup.
Privileges required (PR:L)
A normal user session is enough; they don’t have to be admin.
User interaction (UI:N)
Nobody has to click “OK” or open a trap file; it can work without a victim helping.
Scope (S:U)
Damage stays in the same “trust bubble” as the broken component—no big spill into unrelated systems.
Confidentiality (C:H)
Serious risk that confidential data gets exposed in a big way.
Integrity (I:H)
They could widely tamper with or forge data—trust in the data is badly hurt.
Availability (A:H)
Could take the service down hard or make it unusable for people who depend on it.
2.8 5.9 [email protected]
8.8 3.1 HIGH
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H Click to expand
Attack vector (AV:N)
Could be attacked over the internet or any normal routed network—not just someone sitting at the machine.
Attack complexity (AC:L)
Once they can reach the bug, pulling it off is straightforward—no weird race conditions or rare setup.
Privileges required (PR:L)
A normal user session is enough; they don’t have to be admin.
User interaction (UI:N)
Nobody has to click “OK” or open a trap file; it can work without a victim helping.
Scope (S:U)
Damage stays in the same “trust bubble” as the broken component—no big spill into unrelated systems.
Confidentiality (C:H)
Serious risk that confidential data gets exposed in a big way.
Integrity (I:H)
They could widely tamper with or forge data—trust in the data is badly hurt.
Availability (A:H)
Could take the service down hard or make it unusable for people who depend on it.
2.8 5.9 [email protected]

Weakness enumeration for CVE-2023-0089

Affected software / configurations for CVE-2023-0089

Vendor Product Version Raw CPE
proofpoint enterprise_protection < 8.13.22 cpe:2.3:a:proofpoint:enterprise_protection:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
proofpoint enterprise_protection >= 8.18.0, < 8.18.4 cpe:2.3:a:proofpoint:enterprise_protection:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
proofpoint enterprise_protection 8.18.6 cpe:2.3:a:proofpoint:enterprise_protection:8.18.6:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
proofpoint enterprise_protection 8.20.0 cpe:2.3:a:proofpoint:enterprise_protection:8.20.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

References for CVE-2023-0089

cvelogic Threat Intelligence