Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
CVE-2023-0712 affects the Wicked Folders WordPress plugin through version 2.18.16. A logged-in low-privilege user could change the plugin’s folder structure, an administrator-intended action. This is not described as code execution or data theft, but it can disrupt content organization and weaken administrative control.
Executive priority
Treat this as a moderate-priority WordPress hygiene issue. It is unlikely to justify emergency response by itself, but should be remediated promptly on sites with public registration, many contributors, or operational reliance on the plugin’s folder organization.
Technical view
The issue is CWE-862 missing authorization in the plugin’s ajax_move_object function. The CVSS 3.1 score is 5.4, requiring network access and low privileges, with low integrity and availability impact and no confidentiality impact. Sources identify authenticated subscriber-level users and above as the relevant attacker class.
Likely exposure
Exposure is limited to WordPress sites running Wicked Folders versions up to and including 2.18.16 with untrusted or broadly available authenticated accounts. Public sites allowing subscriber registration may have more practical exposure than tightly managed sites.
Exploitation context
The provided sources do not show CISA KEV listing or confirmed active exploitation. Abuse requires authentication, but subscriber-level access may be common on some WordPress sites. The practical outcome is unauthorized folder-structure modification, not full site compromise based on available evidence.
Researcher notes
The vulnerability centers on missing capability enforcement around ajax_move_object. Public evidence supports authenticated, subscriber-level abuse affecting plugin-maintained folder structure. The bundle does not provide proof of active exploitation, broader privilege escalation, data disclosure, or a named fixed version beyond the vulnerable boundary.
Mitigation direction
- Inventory WordPress sites for the Wicked Folders plugin and installed version.
- Update Wicked Folders beyond 2.18.16 according to vendor or WordPress plugin guidance.
- Disable or remove the plugin where timely update is not possible.
- Restrict subscriber registration and remove unnecessary low-privilege accounts.
- Review plugin permissions and administrative workflows after remediation.
Validation and detection
- Confirm whether Wicked Folders is installed on each WordPress site.
- Verify no site is running Wicked Folders 2.18.16 or earlier.
- Review administrative logs for unexpected folder structure changes by low-privilege users.
- Confirm low-privilege users cannot perform administrator-only folder management actions.
- Document remediation status for each affected WordPress instance.
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-2023-0712 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
- 5.4 (3.1)
- Known Exploited
- No
- Published
Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/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:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:L2.82.5Primary CVE scoreVulnerability scoring details
Base CVSS 3.1 score
5.4MediumVector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:L
Source materials
- CVE List V5 sourceCVE List V5
- https://www.wordfence.com/threat-intel/vulnerabilities/id/0be428ae-40ae-4cc0-82ad-d121b6d2d27e?source=cveCVE reference
- https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/wicked-folders/tags/2.18.16/lib/class-wicked-folders-ajax.phpCVE reference
- https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/changeset?sfp_email=&sfph_mail=&reponame=&new=2860994%40wicked-folders%2Ftrunk&old=2805161%40wicked-folders%2Ftrunk&sfp_email=&sfph_mail=CVE reference
- https://www.wordfence.com/threat-intel/vulnerabilities/id/0be428ae-40ae-4cc0-82ad-d121b6d2d27eCVE 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.
Missing Authorization
Missing Authorization represents a recurring weakness pattern that can create exploitable paths when design, validation, or implementation controls are missing.