Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
This vulnerability lets an unauthenticated visitor deactivate the Hide My WP security plugin on affected WordPress sites. The direct impact is not full site takeover, but it can disable a protective control and make the site easier to fingerprint or attack through other weaknesses.
Executive priority
Handle as a near-term remediation item for WordPress assets using Hide My WP. It is moderate severity, but it targets a security plugin, so disabling it can weaken layered defenses and increase follow-on risk.
Technical view
CVE-2021-36917 is an access-control weakness in wpWave Hide My WP versions 6.2.3 and earlier. Sources state an unauthenticated user can retrieve a reset token and use it to deactivate the plugin, creating low integrity and availability impact. CVSS 3.1 score is 6.5.
Likely exposure
Exposure is limited to WordPress installations using the premium wpWave Hide My WP plugin at version 6.2.3 or earlier. Sites not using this plugin, or using a version confirmed fixed by vendor guidance, are not indicated as affected by the supplied sources.
Exploitation context
The source bundle describes unauthenticated remote abuse with low attack complexity and no user interaction. It does not cite active exploitation, and the CVE is not listed as KEV in the supplied data. Treat exploitation status as unconfirmed.
Researcher notes
Evidence supports CWE-284 access-control failure and unauthenticated plugin deactivation for Hide My WP <= 6.2.3. The bundle does not provide exploit prevalence, exact fixed version text, or detailed vendor mitigation steps. Avoid assuming compromise from this CVE alone.
Mitigation direction
- Inventory WordPress sites for wpWave Hide My WP installations.
- Upgrade affected installations beyond 6.2.3 using vendor or Patchstack guidance.
- Confirm the plugin remains active after remediation.
- Review logs for unexpected plugin deactivation around exposure windows.
- If no maintained update is available, evaluate replacement security controls.
Validation and detection
- Check each WordPress site for the Hide My WP plugin.
- Record installed versions and flag 6.2.3 or earlier.
- Confirm remediation against vendor or Patchstack fixed-version guidance.
- Review administrative activity for unexpected plugin deactivation.
- Verify monitoring alerts on security-plugin status changes.
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-284: 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 lookupCredential and access behavior lookup
The CVE wording references authentication or credential exposure, so valid-account and credential-access review may help. This is a Glexia inferred lookup path, not an official MITRE, ATT&CK, or CVE Program mapping.
Open ATT&CK lookupCVE-2021-36917 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
- 6.5 (3.1)
- Known Exploited
- No
- Published
Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/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:N/I:L/A:L3.92.5Primary CVE scoreVulnerability scoring details
Base CVSS 3.1 score
6.5MediumVector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:L
Source materials
- CVE List V5 sourceCVE List V5
- https://codecanyon.net/item/hide-my-wp-amazing-security-plugin-for-wordpress/4177158CVE reference · x_refsource_CONFIRM
- https://patchstack.com/hide-my-wp-vulnerabilities-fixed/CVE reference · x_refsource_MISC
- https://patchstack.com/database/vulnerability/hide-my-wp/wordpress-hide-my-wp-premium-plugin-6-2-3-unauthenticated-plugin-deactivation-vulnerabilityCVE reference · x_refsource_MISC
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.