# CVE-2023-53971: WebTareas 2.4 Authenticated Remote Code Execution via File Upload

> Authenticated attackers can upload malicious PHP files to execute arbitrary code on the WebTareas server.

- **Severity:** High 8.7 (`CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Any signed-in user
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 22 Dec 2025
- **Updated:** 7 Apr 2026
- **Also known as:** GHSA-f2jf-x5m2-c7qh

## What is CVE-2023-53971?

CVE-2023-53971 is a high-severity vulnerability in luiswang WebTareas, published on 22 Dec 2025. Any signed-in user can exploit it over the network, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

WebTareas 2.4 contains a file upload vulnerability that allows authenticated users to upload malicious PHP files through the chat photo upload functionality. Attackers can upload a PHP file with arbitrary code to the /files/Messages/ directory and execute it directly through the generated file path.

Weakness: CWE-434 (Unrestricted Upload of File with Dangerous Type)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2023-53971?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Webtareas Project Webtareas.

## How do I fix CVE-2023-53971?

No fix has been published for CVE-2023-53971 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2023-53971 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2023-53971 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in luiswang WebTareas

- [CVE-2022-44290](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2022-44290/): SQL injection in n/a (critical 9.8)
- [CVE-2022-44291](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2022-44291/): SQL injection in n/a (critical 9.8)
- [CVE-2021-43481](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2021-43481/): SQL injection in n/a (critical 9.8)
- [CVE-2023-53972](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-53972/): WebTareas 2.4 Unauthenticated SQL Injection via Session Cookie Parameter (critical 9.3)
- [CVE-2021-41916](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2021-41916/): Cross-site request forgery in n/a (high 8.8)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2023-53971 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2023-53971 is a high-severity vulnerability in luiswang WebTareas, published on 22 Dec 2025. Any signed-in user can exploit it over the network, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2023-53971 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: luiswang WebTareas. No package-level version data is available, so check the vendor advisory linked from the reference page.

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-2023-53971/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-53971/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2023-53971
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-53971
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2023-53971

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-53971/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.