Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
This is a WordPress plugin CSRF issue. If a site uses Radio Buttons for Taxonomies version 2.0.5 or earlier, an attacker could trick an authenticated administrator into causing taxonomy terms to be saved without intending it. The documented impact is limited integrity change, not data theft or service outage.
Executive priority
Treat this as a moderate cleanup item for WordPress estates. It is not documented as actively exploited, but affected sites allow unauthorized content-structure changes if an administrator is socially engineered. Prioritize sites with many administrators or sensitive taxonomy-driven publishing workflows.
Technical view
CVE-2020-36740 is CWE-352 in Radio Buttons for Taxonomies. Sources attribute it to missing or incorrect nonce validation in save_single_term(). A forged request can save terms if an unauthenticated attacker persuades an administrator to perform an action. CVSS 3.1 is 4.3 with required user interaction and low integrity impact.
Likely exposure
Exposure is limited to WordPress installations running Radio Buttons for Taxonomies up to and including 2.0.5. Sites without the plugin, or not using affected versions, are not indicated as exposed by the provided sources.
Exploitation context
The source bundle does not show CISA KEV listing or confirmed active exploitation. Exploitation requires administrator interaction, such as being tricked into clicking a link, while the vulnerable plugin is present. The documented outcome is unauthorized saving of terms.
Researcher notes
The affected function named in the source bundle is save_single_term(). The vulnerability class is CSRF caused by missing or incorrect nonce validation. Evidence in the bundle supports affected versions through 2.0.5, CVSS 4.3, and no KEV listing; it does not prove active exploitation.
Mitigation direction
- Inventory WordPress sites for Radio Buttons for Taxonomies installations.
- If version is 2.0.5 or earlier, update using official plugin guidance.
- Review vendor changelog or WordPress Trac changeset for the nonce-validation fix.
- Restrict administrator browsing and avoid acting on untrusted links while logged in.
- Monitor taxonomy or term changes for unexpected administrator-attributed updates.
Validation and detection
- Confirm whether the plugin is installed on each WordPress site.
- Record installed plugin versions and flag 2.0.5 or earlier.
- Verify administrative term-saving actions require valid nonce protection after updating.
- Review site logs or audit trails for unexpected taxonomy term changes.
- Confirm no affected version remains in production or staging.
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-352: User-session and phishing behavior lookup
Client-side and session-facing weaknesses should be reviewed alongside initial-access and user-execution behaviors. 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 lookupCVE-2020-36740 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
- Medium
- CVSS
- 4.3 (3.1)
- Known Exploited
- No
- Published
Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:N
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:R/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:N2.81.4Primary CVE scoreVulnerability scoring details
Base CVSS 3.1 score
4.3MediumVector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:N
Source materials
- CVE List V5 sourceCVE List V5
- https://www.wordfence.com/threat-intel/vulnerabilities/id/26a246c3-cf67-4566-b1e8-dc14c3c5c827?source=cveCVE reference
- https://blog.nintechnet.com/25-wordpress-plugins-vulnerable-to-csrf-attacks/CVE reference
- https://blog.nintechnet.com/more-wordpress-plugins-and-themes-vulnerable-to-csrf-attacks/CVE reference
- https://blog.nintechnet.com/multiple-wordpress-plugins-fixed-csrf-vulnerabilities-part-3/CVE reference
- https://blog.nintechnet.com/multiple-wordpress-plugins-fixed-csrf-vulnerabilities-part-2/CVE reference
- https://blog.nintechnet.com/multiple-wordpress-plugins-fixed-csrf-vulnerabilities-part-1/CVE reference
- https://blog.nintechnet.com/multiple-wordpress-plugins-fixed-csrf-vulnerabilities-part-5/CVE reference
- https://blog.nintechnet.com/multiple-wordpress-plugins-fixed-csrf-vulnerabilities-part-4/CVE reference
- https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/changeset?sfp_email=&sfph_mail=&reponame=&old=2368215%40radio-buttons-for-taxonomies&new=2368215%40radio-buttons-for-taxonomies&sfp_email=&sfph_mail=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.
Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF)
Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF) represents a recurring weakness pattern that can create exploitable paths when design, validation, or implementation controls are missing.