Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
This vulnerability lets an attacker trick a logged-in WordPress administrator into triggering WP Activity Log cleanup behavior through a forged request. It does not allow direct unauthenticated takeover, but it can cause unintended administrative action if a targeted admin clicks a malicious link or visits a hostile page.
Executive priority
Treat this as a moderate WordPress maintenance risk. It is not described as actively exploited, but it can weaken audit-log integrity if an administrator is socially engineered. Prioritize patching on externally managed or high-value WordPress sites.
Technical view
CVE-2023-2286 is a CSRF issue in WP Activity Log up to and including 4.5.0. The ajax_run_cleanup function lacked correct nonce validation, allowing forged requests to invoke cleanup when performed through an authenticated administrator’s browser. The CVSS 3.1 score is 4.3 with low integrity impact.
Likely exposure
Exposure is limited to WordPress installations running WP Activity Log versions up to 4.5.0, especially where administrators are likely to browse externally while logged into wp-admin.
Exploitation context
The provided sources do not show active exploitation, and the CVE is not listed as KEV. Exploitation requires user interaction: an attacker must convince a site administrator to perform an action such as clicking a link.
Researcher notes
The core weakness is CWE-352, missing or incorrect nonce validation on an AJAX cleanup path. The impact described by sources is limited integrity impact. Evidence does not support claims of code execution, data theft, privilege escalation, or active exploitation.
Mitigation direction
- Update WP Activity Log to a vendor-confirmed fixed version above 4.5.0.
- Check vendor and Wordfence guidance for exact fixed release details.
- Reduce unnecessary WordPress administrator accounts and sessions.
- Ask administrators to avoid untrusted links while logged into wp-admin.
- Review audit-log cleanup and retention settings after updating.
Validation and detection
- Inventory WordPress sites for WP Activity Log versions up to 4.5.0.
- Confirm the installed plugin includes nonce validation for ajax_run_cleanup.
- Review activity logs for unexpected cleanup actions or retention changes.
- Verify administrators cannot trigger cleanup through unauthenticated forged requests.
- Document affected sites, version evidence, and remediation status.
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-2023-2286 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/e2008e0b-32c6-46fb-93b9-2b0004f478e8?source=cveCVE reference
- https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/wp-security-audit-log/trunk/classes/Views/Settings.php#L278CVE reference
- https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/changeset?sfp_email=&sfph_mail=&reponame=&new=2911239%40wp-security-audit-log%2Ftrunk&old=2897171%40wp-security-audit-log%2Ftrunk&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.