Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
CVE-2023-0087 is a stored cross-site scripting issue in the Swifty Page Manager WordPress plugin. An administrator-level user could save script content through a plugin option, causing it to run later for users viewing the affected page. The issue is limited to multisite installations or sites where unfiltered_html is disabled.
Executive priority
Treat as a moderate-priority WordPress hygiene issue. It is constrained by administrator privileges, but stored XSS can still damage trust, alter user experience, and amplify the impact of compromised admin accounts.
Technical view
The vulnerability is CWE-79 in Swifty Page Manager through 3.0.1, involving insufficient sanitization and output escaping of spm_plugin_options_page_tree_max_width. It requires network access and administrator-level privileges, with scope changed and limited confidentiality and integrity impact. Availability impact is not indicated.
Likely exposure
Exposure is likely limited to WordPress environments running Swifty Page Manager up to 3.0.1, especially multisite deployments or hardened sites disabling unfiltered_html. Risk is higher where many administrators exist or administrator accounts may be compromised.
Exploitation context
The provided sources do not show CISA KEV listing or active exploitation. Abuse requires administrator-level access, so this is not a typical unauthenticated mass-exploitation issue. The business concern is persistence of unwanted script behavior inside trusted WordPress administration or page-rendering contexts.
Researcher notes
Focus review on the page tree maximum width option and how the plugin stores and renders it. The source bundle identifies the vulnerable parameter and links WordPress Trac evidence, but does not provide a named fixed version or active exploitation evidence.
Mitigation direction
- Inventory WordPress sites for Swifty Page Manager up to 3.0.1.
- Check vendor or plugin repository guidance for an updated fixed release.
- Restrict administrator access to trusted, MFA-protected accounts.
- Remove the plugin if it is unused or cannot be safely updated.
- Review plugin settings for unexpected saved values.
Validation and detection
- Confirm whether Swifty Page Manager is installed and enabled.
- Record installed plugin version across production and staging WordPress sites.
- Check whether the site is multisite or has unfiltered_html disabled.
- Review administrative audit logs for recent plugin option changes.
- Inspect affected plugin option values for unexpected script-like content.
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-79: 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-2023-0087 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
- 5.5 (3.1)
- Known Exploited
- No
- Published
Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:C/C:L/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:H/UI:N/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N2.32.7Primary CVE scoreVulnerability scoring details
Base CVSS 3.1 score
5.5MediumVector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N
Source materials
- CVE List V5 sourceCVE List V5
- https://www.wordfence.com/threat-intel/vulnerabilities/id/8550a405-9fa2-41a3-b556-05ff9f577ce4?source=cveCVE reference
- https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/swifty-page-manager/trunk/view/page_tree.php?rev=1555394#L174CVE reference
- https://www.wordfence.com/threat-intel/vulnerabilities/id/8550a405-9fa2-41a3-b556-05ff9f577ce4CVE reference · x_transferred
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.
Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting')
Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting') represents a recurring weakness pattern that can create exploitable paths when design, validation, or implementation controls are missing.