CVE-2023-38069 - How a License Dialog Was Silently Bypassed in JetBrains IntelliJ IDEA (Before 2023.1.4)

JetBrains IntelliJ IDEA is one of the most popular integrated development environments (IDEs) used by millions of developers around the world. It’s known for its powerful tools, flexibility, and support for many programming languages. But in June 2023, a subtle vulnerability was uncovered—one that let users bypass the software's license dialog in specific situations. This post explains, in simple terms, how this flaw (CVE-2023-38069) worked, how it could be exploited, and what developers should know today.


Table of Contents

What is CVE-2023-38069?

CVE-2023-38069 is the identifier for a security vulnerability found in JetBrains IntelliJ IDEA, up to version 2023.1.4. By exploiting this bug, someone could suppress or bypass the license agreement dialog—something that normally appears to enforce licensing terms and usage compliance.

- CVE page: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-38069
- Severity: Medium (as it allowed usage without proper agreement, but did not directly allow code execution or data leaks)

What Was the Problem?

Normally, when you launch IntelliJ IDEA for the first time (or after a license check), the IDE should display a License Agreement Dialog. This dialog asks users to read and accept the software license before proceeding.

However, in certain circumstances (related to how the dialog is triggered and certain UI events), this dialog could be suppressed or not shown at all. As a result, a user might start using IntelliJ IDEA without ever seeing or agreeing to the license.

In other words: the gate that is supposed to make sure you agree to rules and terms could be quietly skipped.

Who Was Affected?

The issue affected JetBrains IntelliJ IDEA before version 2023.1.4. JetBrains products built on similar code might also have been impacted. If you ran an older version, you could have opened the program and never seen the license dialog.

Technical Background

The vulnerability is related to the initialization order and window/event hooks in the underlying Java application. If an attacker (or a crafty user) manipulated certain JVM properties or startup flags, or if the app was started with particular environment variables set, it could sidestep the function that triggers the license dialog.

Let's say part of the original logic looked like this (pseudo-Java)

public void startIDE() {
    if (!licenseAccepted()) {
        showLicenseDialog();
    }
    // ... Continue starting process
}

However, under specific launch conditions, it might look like licenseAccepted() returns true (even if never set!) or the showLicenseDialog() call never triggers.

Suppose a user launches IntelliJ IDEA with custom JVM flags

$ IDEA_JVM_OPTS='-Didea.license.agreement.suppress=true' ./idea.sh

Or sets a property file in the user home directory

# idea.properties
idea.license.agreement.suppress=true

What happens?

User gets into the IDE directly—no license click needed

Keep in mind: The actual keys or environment variables may differ, but the idea is that startup paths could be manipulated to bypass the dialog.

Java-level Example

if (System.getProperty("idea.license.agreement.suppress", "false").equals("true")) {
    // Do NOT show dialog
} else {
    showLicenseDialog();
}

A malicious user could set the system property above, and thus the dialog is never shown.

License Terms Ignored

The user could run the software without ever accepting the official license agreement—which could have legal or compliance implications.

Policy Violations

In corporate or educational settings, this bypass could let people use the tool in ways that break local rules or institutional policies.

Potential for Automation Abuse

Bot-controlled setups, automated test environments, or temporary containers could distribute JetBrains products at scale without ever passing through “the user has agreed” gate.

The Fix and What You Should Do

JetBrains patched this vulnerability in version 2023.1.4. The updated code makes sure the license dialog can’t be skipped via any system property, environment variable, or out-of-order event.

Update to 2023.1.4 or later immediately.

- Audit older deployment scripts for custom flags or property files that might have suppressed dialogs.

References

- JetBrains Advisory / Changelog
- National Vulnerability Database CVE-2023-38069
- JetBrains Release Notes for 2023.1.4
- Full list of JetBrains Security Bulletins

Summary

CVE-2023-38069 seemed simple—a missing or suppressed license dialog—but it highlights the importance of all entry points in software. If you haven't upgraded IntelliJ IDEA, do it today. And always check your deployment scripts for odd startup tweaks that could bypass important dialogs like licenses, EULAs, or security notices.

Timeline

Published on: 07/12/2023 13:15:00 UTC
Last modified on: 07/20/2023 18:25:00 UTC