Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
CVE-2020-36746 affects the WordPress Menu Swapper plugin through version 1.1.0.2. An attacker could trick a logged-in site administrator into triggering an unwanted request that saves plugin metadata. The impact is limited integrity change, but it matters for WordPress sites where menus influence user navigation or site presentation.
Executive priority
Treat this as a moderate WordPress hygiene issue, not an emergency unless the plugin is widely deployed on business-critical sites. Prioritize inventory, update or disable decisions, and administrator-risk reduction during the next maintenance cycle.
Technical view
The issue is CWE-352 CSRF caused by missing or incorrect nonce validation in the mswp_save_meta() function. The CVSS 3.1 score is 4.3: network reachable, low complexity, no attacker privileges, user interaction required, and low integrity impact only.
Likely exposure
Exposure is limited to WordPress sites with the Menu Swapper plugin installed at versions up to and including 1.1.0.2. Sites without this plugin are not exposed based on the provided sources.
Exploitation context
The sources do not show CISA KEV listing or confirmed active exploitation. Exploitation requires social engineering of a site administrator, such as inducing them to perform an action while authenticated. No source supports treating this as wormable or unauthenticated direct takeover.
Researcher notes
The provided evidence identifies the vulnerable function and CSRF class but does not include exploit activity, exploit details, or a clearly named fixed version. Analysis should stay scoped to Menu Swapper through 1.1.0.2 and avoid broader WordPress assumptions.
Mitigation direction
- Inventory WordPress sites for the Menu Swapper plugin and its installed version.
- Update beyond 1.1.0.2 if vendor-supported guidance identifies a fixed release.
- If no fixed release is available, disable or remove the plugin until guidance is clear.
- Limit WordPress administrator access to trusted users and hardened admin workflows.
- Review vendor, Wordfence, and WordPress plugin changelog guidance before deployment decisions.
Validation and detection
- Confirm whether Menu Swapper is installed on each WordPress site.
- Record the installed plugin version and compare it with the affected range.
- Review plugin code or changelog for nonce validation around mswp_save_meta().
- Check recent administrative changes to menu-related metadata for unexpected modifications.
- Verify compensating controls do not rely on administrator clicks being trusted.
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-2020-36746 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/49a04155-9fa8-45e0-b80b-3836d5271fa7?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=2368729%40menu-swapper&new=2368729%40menu-swapper&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.