Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
A CSRF flaw in wpdevart's WordPress Responsive Vertical Icon Menu plugin through 1.5.8 could let an attacker trick a user into causing unwanted site changes, including theme deletion. This is not described as remote takeover, but it can disrupt site appearance and operations.
Executive priority
Treat this as a moderate website integrity and availability issue. Prioritize externally facing WordPress sites and business-critical marketing or customer portals, but do not escalate as known exploited based on the provided evidence.
Technical view
CVE-2023-23983 is CWE-352 in the WordPress wpdevart Responsive Vertical Icon Menu plugin. The supplied CVSS 3.1 score is 5.4 with network attack vector, low complexity, no privileges, required user interaction, and low integrity and availability impact.
Likely exposure
Exposure is limited to WordPress sites using the wpdevart Responsive Vertical Icon Menu plugin at affected versions through 1.5.8. The bundle does not identify affected CPEs or hosting platforms beyond WordPress plugin installations.
Exploitation context
The CVE is not listed as KEV, and the provided sources do not claim active exploitation. The CVSS vector indicates user interaction is required, consistent with CSRF risk where a victim action triggers an unintended change.
Researcher notes
The source bundle names CSRF leading to theme deletion, while the Patchstack reference title mentions settings change. Evidence does not provide exploit details, patch version, or observed exploitation. Validate exposure through plugin inventory rather than assumptions.
Mitigation direction
- Inventory WordPress sites for the wpdevart Responsive Vertical Icon Menu plugin.
- Check vendor, WordPress plugin, and Patchstack guidance for fixed versions or recommended action.
- Update the plugin when a trusted source confirms a fixed release.
- Disable or remove the plugin where it is not business-critical.
- Back up themes and site configuration before remediation changes.
Validation and detection
- Verify whether wpdevart-vertical-menu is installed on each WordPress site.
- Confirm installed plugin versions, prioritizing versions through 1.5.8.
- Review recent WordPress administrative changes for unexpected theme deletion or settings changes.
- Check whether compensating controls protect administrator sessions and privileged workflows.
- 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-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-2023-23983 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:N/UI:R/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:R/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:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:L
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.