CVE-2023-1894: A Regular Expression Denial of Service (ReDoS) issue was discovered in Puppet Server 7.9.2 certificate validat

Routine

MEDIUM 5.3REMOTEDOWNGRADEDOWNGRADE

CVE-2023-1894 is a medium-severity flaw (CVSS 5.3) affecting puppet enterprise, puppet server. Below: why it ranks where it does, which versions are affected, what to do, and the exact commands.

A Regular Expression Denial of Service (ReDoS) issue was discovered in Puppet Server 7.9.2 certificate validation. An issue related to specifically crafted certificate names significantly slowed down server operations.

Why this priority

Remotely exploitable, no login, no user action

No fix is published yet: follow the downgrade or mitigation steps.

Risk facts

CVSS score	5.3 (Medium)
Attack vector	Network (remote)
Attack complexity	Low
Privileges needed	None
User interaction	None
EPSS exploit chance	0.4% (top 62%)
CISA exploited list	No
Weakness	CWE-1333
Published	2023-05-04
Last modified	2026-06-17

Publisher (CNA): Perforce · Vendor: puppet

Last updated 2026-06-17 · Sources: CVE Program, NVD, CISA KEV, EPSS and vendor advisories · How we score

Am I affected?

Timeline

2023-05-04 23:15 UTCPublished CVE record published
2026-06-17 05:28 UTCUpdated Record last modified

puppet puppet enterprise DOWNGRADE

Affected: 2021.7.1 · 2023.0

Fixed in: no fixed release known

Safe to downgrade to: a release before 2021.7.1

1. Check installed version

apt-cache policy puppet-enterprise || rpm -q puppet-enterprise || puppet-enterprise --version

2. No fixed release: DOWNGRADE to a release before 2021.7.1 (Debian / Ubuntu)

apt-cache madison puppet-enterprise sudo apt install puppet-enterprise=<VERSION_BEFORE_2021.7.1> sudo apt-mark hold puppet-enterprise

2. No fixed release: DOWNGRADE (RHEL / Amazon Linux / Fedora)

dnf --showduplicates list puppet-enterprise sudo dnf downgrade puppet-enterprise-<VERSION_BEFORE_2021.7.1> sudo dnf versionlock add puppet-enterprise

Downgrade risk

Downgrading can break dependent software and may reopen older bugs. Read the distro advisory first and test on a non-production host.

After downgrade

Restart the service, and keep the package held until a fixed release ships.

puppet puppet server DOWNGRADE

Affected: 7.9.2

Fixed in: no fixed release known

Safe to downgrade to: a release before 7.9.2

1. Check installed version

apt-cache policy puppet-server || rpm -q puppet-server || puppet-server --version

2. No fixed release: DOWNGRADE to a release before 7.9.2 (Debian / Ubuntu)

apt-cache madison puppet-server sudo apt install puppet-server=<VERSION_BEFORE_7.9.2> sudo apt-mark hold puppet-server

2. No fixed release: DOWNGRADE (RHEL / Amazon Linux / Fedora)

dnf --showduplicates list puppet-server sudo dnf downgrade puppet-server-<VERSION_BEFORE_7.9.2> sudo dnf versionlock add puppet-server

Downgrade risk

Downgrading can break dependent software and may reopen older bugs. Read the distro advisory first and test on a non-production host.

After downgrade

Restart the service, and keep the package held until a fixed release ships.

Verify at the official source NVD · CVE Program · Report a problem with this page
Scores and fixes here are computed automatically from those and other public sources. Confirm with the vendor advisory before changing production systems.

Quick answers

How do I fix CVE-2023-1894?

puppet enterprise: downgrade or apply the listed mitigation; puppet server: downgrade or apply the listed mitigation. Exact commands for each OS are on this page.

Is CVE-2023-1894 being exploited?

CVE-2023-1894 is not on the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities list at the time of the last update. Check again, as this can change.

What does CVE-2023-1894 affect?

CVE-2023-1894 affects puppet enterprise, puppet server. Severity is medium (CVSS 5.3). A Regular Expression Denial of Service (ReDoS) issue was discovered in Puppet Server 7.9.2 certificate validation. An issue related to specifically crafted certificate names significantly slowed down server operations.

How urgent is CVE-2023-1894?

Priority 33/100. Remotely exploitable, no login, no user action

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References

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