CVE-2023-21418

Sandro Poppi, member of the AXIS OS Bug Bounty Program, has found that the VAPIX API irissetup.cgi was vulnerable to path traversal attacks that allows for file deletion. This flaw can only be exploited after authenticating with an operator- or administrator-privileged service account. The impact of exploiting this vulnerability is lower with operator service accounts and limited to non-system files compared to administrator-privileges. Axis has released patched AXIS OS versions for the highlighted flaw. Please refer to the Axis security advisory for more information and solution.

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

Conclusion & alert: CVE-2023-21418 is rated Moderate Risk (41.4/100): CVSS High severity, with low exploitation likelihood (EPSS 0.17%). 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-2023-21418

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 2025-11-21 0.49% 0.17% -0.33%
2 2025-11-18 0.22% 0.49% +0.27%
3 2025-03-30 0.22%

Full EPSS history (7 records total)

Common vulnerability scoring system (CVSS) metrics for CVE-2023-21418

CVSS metrics for this CVE.

Base score Version Severity Vector Exploitability Impact Score source
7.1 3.1 HIGH
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:L/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:N)
Doesn’t really leak secrets in a meaningful way.
Integrity (I:L)
Attackers could change some data, but it’s limited—not everything goes.
Availability (A:H)
Could take the service down hard or make it unusable for people who depend on it.
2.8 4.2 [email protected]
7.1 3.1 HIGH
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:L/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:N)
Doesn’t really leak secrets in a meaningful way.
Integrity (I:L)
Attackers could change some data, but it’s limited—not everything goes.
Availability (A:H)
Could take the service down hard or make it unusable for people who depend on it.
2.8 4.2 [email protected]

Weakness enumeration for CVE-2023-21418

Affected software / configurations for CVE-2023-21418

Vendor Product Version Raw CPE
axis axis_os < 6.50.5.15 cpe:2.3:o:axis:axis_os:*:*:*:*:-:*:*:*
axis axis_os < 11.7.57 cpe:2.3:o:axis:axis_os:*:*:*:*:active:*:*:*
axis axis_os_2018 < 8.40.35 cpe:2.3:o:axis:axis_os_2018:*:*:*:*:lts:*:*:*
axis axis_os_2020 < 9.80.49 cpe:2.3:o:axis:axis_os_2020:*:*:*:*:lts:*:*:*
axis axis_os_2022 < 10.12.213 cpe:2.3:o:axis:axis_os_2022:*:*:*:*:lts:*:*:*

References for CVE-2023-21418

cvelogic Threat Intelligence