# CVE-2023-45038: Music Station - Authentication Bypass

> Live exploitation tracking for CVE-2023-45038 by the CrowdSec Live Exploit Tracker, built from real-world attack data crowdsourced from CrowdSec's global network.

Page: https://tracker.crowdsec.net/cves/CVE-2023-45038

## Key facts

- **Exploitation phase:** Limited Exploitation. The vulnerability is known but shows very limited attacker interest or exploitation activity.
- **CVSS score:** 4.3
- **Public exploit available:** Yes
- **Affected products:** QNAP Systems Inc. Music Station
- **Weaknesses:** CWE-287 (Improper Authentication)
- **Tags:** enterprise_software

## Description

An improper authentication vulnerability has been reported to affect Music Station. If exploited, the vulnerability could allow users to compromise the security of the system via a network.

We have already fixed the vulnerability in the following version:
Music Station 5.4.0 and later

## CrowdSec analysis

[CVE-2023-45038](https://euvd.enisa.europa.eu/vulnerability/CVE-2023-45038) is an improper authentication vulnerability in QNAP Music Station that could allow remote attackers to compromise system security over the network. Exploiting this flaw may enable unauthorized users to gain limited access to sensitive information or system resources.

CrowdSec has been tracking this vulnerability and its exploits since 7th of January 2026.

Data from the CrowdSec community indicates that exploitation of CVE-2023-45038 is highly selective and intelligence-driven. Threat actors use advanced reconnaissance and carefully choose their targets, often as part of sophisticated campaigns or advanced persistent threat operations.
Data from the CrowdSec community also indicates a gradual decrease in attacks targeting CVE-2023-45038. While still present in the wild, exploitation levels have dropped noticeably week-over-week. This may signal that the vulnerability is becoming less relevant or that defenses are improving fast enough for attackers to lose interest.

Attackers exploit the `/musicstation/api/as_get_file_api.php` endpoint by sending unauthenticated POST requests with crafted parameters to bypass authentication and access sensitive files such as `/etc/passwd`.

## Timeline

- 2024-09-06: CVE Published. CVE-2023-45038 is published to NVD.
- 2026-01-07: Rule Released. CrowdSec releases a rule to detect CVE-2023-45038 exploitation attempts against the CrowdSec Network.
- 2026-01-14: CrowdSec First Seen. CrowdSec observes in-the-wild exploitation of CVE-2023-45038 for the first time.

## References

- https://github.com/projectdiscovery/nuclei-templates/blob/main/http/cves/2023/CVE-2023-45038.yaml

## Live exploitation data

The [Live Exploit Tracker page](https://tracker.crowdsec.net/cves/CVE-2023-45038) follows observed exploitation activity for CVE-2023-45038. [Request an API key](https://tracker.crowdsec.net/request-api-key) for full access to its exploitation timeline, attacking IP addresses and blocklists.