IRONSMITHINTEL
CRITICALCVSS9.6
|
Actively Exploited
|CISA KEV|CVE-2023-41265|Auth: low — authenticated user|Reboot: required|Manual only

Qlik Sense HTTP Tunneling Vulnerability

Qlik Sense contains an HTTP tunneling vulnerability that allows an attacker to escalate privileges and execute HTTP requests on the backend server hosting the software.

Published Aug 29, 2023 · Updated May 16, 2026
Why patchRisk explained in plain English
Worst-case scenarioIf unpatched

A remote attacker, with a low-privilege account, can achieve full data confidentiality loss, arbitrary modification of data. CISA has confirmed use of this vulnerability in known ransomware campaigns — treat as high priority for remediation. Federal agencies are required to remediate by 2023-12-28 under CISA BOD 22-01.

How the attack worksNo clicks needed

This is a Software Vulnerability (CWE-444) (CWE-444) vulnerability in Qlik Sense. An HTTP Request Tunneling vulnerability found in Qlik Sense Enterprise for Windows for versions May 2023 Patch 3 and earlier, February 2023 Patch 7 and earlier, November 2022 Patch 10 and earlier, and August 2022 Patch 12 and earlier allows a remote attacker to elevate their privilege by tunneling HTTP requests in the raw HTTP request. This allows them to send requests that get executed by the backend server hosting the repository application. This is fixed in August 2023 IR, May 2023 Patch 4, February 2023 Patch 8, November 2022 Patch 11, and August 2022 Patch 13. Exploitation requires remote network access, low attack complexity, a low-privilege authenticated account, and no user interaction required.

Am I affected?Quick check

Probably yes if any of these apply:

IT Security
Running qlik sense: august_2022, february_2023, may_2023, november_2022
Real-world incidentsWhat we've seen

CISA confirms this CVE has been used in known ransomware campaigns. Added to the KEV catalog on 2023-12-07; federal agencies required to remediate by 2023-12-28.

How to patch

Manual remediation steps

Apply the Vendor Patch

This vulnerability is in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog — apply the vendor's security update as soon as possible.

CISA required action: Apply remediations or mitigations per vendor instructions or discontinue use of the product if remediation or mitigations are unavailable.

References

    1
    Vendor advisory: https://community.qlik.com/t5/Official-Support-Articles/Critical-Security-fixes-for-Qlik-Sense-Enterprise-for-Windows/ta-p/2110801
    1
    NVD entry: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-41265
    1
    CISA KEV: https://www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog?field_cve=CVE-2023-41265
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