Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
This WordPress plugin flaw lets any logged-in user, even a subscriber, trigger an admin-intended folder-ordering function. It does not expose data directly, but it can let low-privileged users alter the Wicked Folders structure and disrupt content organization.
Executive priority
Treat as a moderate WordPress hygiene issue. Prioritize remediation for public sites with user registration, membership features, or many low-privileged accounts. It is less urgent than unauthenticated code execution but should not remain exposed.
Technical view
CVE-2023-0720 is CWE-862 missing authorization in Wicked Folders ajax_save_folder_order through version 2.18.16. The issue is network-reachable, low complexity, requires low privileges, and needs no user interaction. CVSS 3.1 is 5.4 with low integrity and availability impact.
Likely exposure
Exposure is limited to WordPress sites running Wicked Folders up to and including 2.18.16, especially sites with open registration or many subscriber-level accounts. Unauthenticated visitors are not described as able to exploit it.
Exploitation context
The provided bundle does not show CISA KEV listing or any cited evidence of active exploitation. The practical risk is authenticated misuse by low-privileged WordPress users to modify plugin-maintained folder structure.
Researcher notes
The CVE metadata identifies the vulnerable function and affected range, but the supplied affected-product version field is incomplete. Source confidence is strongest for the title, description, CVSS, CWE-862 classification, and WordPress Trac references.
Mitigation direction
- Identify all WordPress sites using Wicked Folders.
- Update Wicked Folders outside the affected range per vendor guidance.
- Disable or restrict the plugin where immediate updating is not possible.
- Limit unnecessary subscriber-level accounts and open registration.
- Review recent folder-structure changes for unauthorized modifications.
Validation and detection
- Check installed Wicked Folders versions across WordPress assets.
- Confirm no site remains on version 2.18.16 or earlier.
- Review WordPress user lists for unexpected low-privileged accounts.
- Inspect plugin/admin logs for unusual folder-order changes.
- Verify vendor or WordPress plugin guidance before closing remediation.
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-2023-0720 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/8d392d0b-f286-44da-aa32-a08d0279baed?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/8d392d0b-f286-44da-aa32-a08d0279baedCVE 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.