# CVE-2023-36465: Decidim has broken access control in templates

> Logged-in users can improperly access the administration panel to create, modify, or delete survey templates due to missing permission checks.

- **Severity:** Critical 9.1 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:L/I:H/A:L`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Any signed-in user
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** Yes
- **Published:** 6 Oct 2023
- **Updated:** 19 Sep 2024
- **Also known as:** GHSA-639h-86hw-qcjq

## What is CVE-2023-36465?

CVE-2023-36465 is a critical missing authorization vulnerability in decidim, published on 6 Oct 2023. Any signed-in user can exploit it over the network, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

Decidim is a participatory democracy framework, written in Ruby on Rails, originally developed for the Barcelona City government online and offline participation website. The `templates` module doesn't enforce the correct permissions, allowing any logged-in user to access to this functionality in the administration panel. An attacker could use this vulnerability to change, create or delete templates of surveys. This issue has been patched in version 0.26.8 and 0.27.4.

Weakness: CWE-732 (Incorrect Permission Assignment for Critical Resource), CWE-284 (Improper Access Control)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2023-36465?

8 open source packages ship an affected version, including decidim and decidim-templates. It affects 1 product.


| Package | Ecosystem | Affected | Fixed in |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| `decidim` | RubyGems | From 0.23.2 | 0.26.8 |
| `decidim` | RubyGems | From 0.23.2 | 0.26.8 |
| `decidim` | RubyGems | From 0.27.0 | 0.27.4 |
| `decidim` | RubyGems | From 0.27.0 | 0.27.4 |
| `decidim-templates` | RubyGems | From 0.23.2 | 0.26.8 |
| `decidim-templates` | RubyGems | From 0.23.2 | 0.26.8 |
| `decidim-templates` | RubyGems | From 0.27.0 | 0.27.4 |
| `decidim-templates` | RubyGems | From 0.27.0 | 0.27.4 |

Products: Decidim Decidim.

## How do I fix CVE-2023-36465?

Upgrade decidim to a fixed version for your release line: 0.26.8 or 0.27.4.

## Is CVE-2023-36465 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2023-36465 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in decidim

- [CVE-2026-23891](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-23891/): Decidim has a Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability via user name field (critical 9.3)
- [CVE-2025-65017](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-65017/): Decidim's private data exports can lead to data leaks (high 8.2)
- [CVE-2023-32693](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-32693/): Decidim Cross-site Scripting vulnerability in the external link redirections (high 8.1)
- [CVE-2023-34089](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-34089/): Decidim Cross-site Scripting vulnerability in the processes filter (high 8.1)
- [CVE-2024-45594](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2024-45594/): Decidim allows cross-site scripting (XSS) in the online or hybrid meeting embeds (high 7.7)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2023-36465 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2023-36465 is a critical missing authorization vulnerability in decidim, published on 6 Oct 2023. Any signed-in user can exploit it over the network, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2023-36465 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected packages and fixed versions:
- decidim (RubyGems): affected from 0.23.2; fixed in 0.26.8
- decidim (RubyGems): affected from 0.23.2; fixed in 0.26.8
- decidim (RubyGems): affected from 0.27.0; fixed in 0.27.4
- decidim (RubyGems): affected from 0.27.0; fixed in 0.27.4
- decidim-templates (RubyGems): affected from 0.23.2; fixed in 0.26.8
- decidim-templates (RubyGems): affected from 0.23.2; fixed in 0.26.8
- decidim-templates (RubyGems): affected from 0.27.0; fixed in 0.27.4
- decidim-templates (RubyGems): affected from 0.27.0; fixed in 0.27.4

Task:
1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies.
2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it.
3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead.
4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why.
5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing.

Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-36465/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-36465/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2023-36465
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-36465
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2023-36465

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-36465/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.