Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
This affects WordPress sites running the WP GDPR plugin version 2.1.1 or earlier. An outside attacker does not need an account to delete comments or change plugin settings, creating content integrity and operational risk for public websites.
Executive priority
Prioritize remediation for public WordPress sites, especially sites relying on comments or GDPR workflows. The business risk is unauthorized content deletion and configuration tampering without authentication, not full server takeover based on the provided sources.
Technical view
CVE-2020-36697 is a missing authorization check in WP GDPR through 2.1.1, mapped to CWE-862. The CVSS 3.1 score is 7.3, with network access, low complexity, no privileges, and no user interaction required. Reported impacts are limited confidentiality, integrity, and availability.
Likely exposure
Exposure is likely limited to WordPress installations with the WP GDPR plugin installed at version 2.1.1 or older. The provided data does not establish exposure for other GDPR plugins or products.
Exploitation context
The sources support unauthenticated abuse capability, but the bundle does not cite active exploitation and KEV is false. Treat internet-facing WordPress sites using this plugin as at-risk because exploitation requires no login or user interaction.
Researcher notes
The source bundle is internally inconsistent on affected version metadata, but the description and references identify WP GDPR up to and including 2.1.1. No exploit code, active exploitation, or confirmed fixed version is provided in the supplied evidence.
Mitigation direction
- Inventory WordPress sites for WP GDPR plugin version 2.1.1 or older.
- Check vendor, Wordfence, or Acunetix guidance for any fixed version or official mitigation.
- Disable or remove the vulnerable plugin if no confirmed fix is available.
- Preserve backups before changing plugin state or replacing compliance functionality.
- Monitor comments and plugin settings for unauthorized changes.
Validation and detection
- Confirm plugin name and version from WordPress administration or asset inventory.
- Review whether the plugin is active on public-facing WordPress sites.
- Check logs for unexpected comment deletion or plugin settings changes.
- Verify comments and WP GDPR configuration match known-good backups.
- Document whether a fixed version or replacement was applied.
Public sources used
Generated from the cited source records. This long-tail analysis has not been individually reviewed by a named human.
Conservative CVE-to-ATT&CK context
These mappings and lookup hints may be relevant to the vulnerability behavior, CWE, affected product, or exposure path. Glexia-inferred context is not an official MITRE, ATT&CK, CWE, or CVE Program mapping.
ATT&CK lookup starting points
Use these exact CWE pages and searches to review the Glexia ATT&CK library from this CVE's weakness and description context.
CWE-862: Authorization and privilege behavior lookup
Authorization weaknesses can support privilege escalation and valid-account review, depending on exploit path. Open the exact CWE lookup page first, then review the ATT&CK searches from that MITRE weakness context. This is a Glexia lookup hint, not an official ATT&CK mapping.
Open ATT&CK lookupPrivilege behavior lookup
The CVE wording references privilege impact, so privilege escalation and authorization behavior review may help. This is a Glexia inferred lookup path, not an official MITRE, ATT&CK, or CVE Program mapping.
Open ATT&CK lookupCVE-2020-36697 mapping review
Open the CVE-to-ATT&CK bridge for reviewed, inferred, or future official mappings tied to this CVE.
Open ATT&CK lookup- Severity
- High
- CVSS
- 7.3 (3.1)
- Known Exploited
- No
- Published
Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:L
CNA and ADP enrichment extracted from CVE v5
These fields come from the CVE record and ADP containers, not from Glexia's Take. They preserve time-varying source decisions such as CISA SSVC, KEV status, CVSS metrics, and provider references.
CVSS vector scores
1 official scoreWe collect every scored CVSS vector available in the official CNA and ADP containers. When more than one version is present, the table keeps the source vectors side by side instead of collapsing them into the highest score.
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:L3.93.4Primary CVE scoreVulnerability scoring details
Base CVSS 3.1 score
7.3HighVector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:L
Source materials
- CVE List V5 sourceCVE List V5
- https://www.wordfence.com/threat-intel/vulnerabilities/id/032e775a-97be-4d93-bac3-094e35be4b11?source=cveCVE reference
- https://blog.nintechnet.com/unauthenticated-stored-xss-and-content-spoofing-vulnerabilities-in-wordpress-wp-gdpr-plugin-unpatched/CVE reference
- https://www.acunetix.com/vulnerabilities/web/wordpress-plugin-wp-gdpr-multiple-vulnerabilities-2-1-1/CVE reference
Products and packages named in the record
CWE details
CWE links open Glexia weakness intelligence pages with official CWE context, developer remediation guidance, and related CVE mappings.
Missing Authorization
Missing Authorization represents a recurring weakness pattern that can create exploitable paths when design, validation, or implementation controls are missing.