Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
This issue affects the WordPress Search in Place plugin up to version 1.0.104. A logged-in user may misuse a feedback-submission function because authorization checks are missing. The expected business impact is limited integrity risk, not data theft or service outage based on the supplied CVSS data.
Executive priority
Treat as a routine but real web application control issue. It is not described as actively exploited or high impact, but internet-facing WordPress sites with user accounts should be remediated during the next maintenance cycle.
Technical view
CVE-2023-26521 is a CWE-862 missing authorization flaw in CodePeople Search in Place for WordPress. The CVSS vector is AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:N, indicating remote reachability, low complexity, required low privileges, and limited integrity impact.
Likely exposure
Exposure is limited to WordPress sites running CodePeople Search in Place, package search-in-place, at versions through 1.0.104. Sites without this plugin, or outside the affected version range, are not indicated as affected by the supplied data.
Exploitation context
The bundle does not identify active exploitation, and KEV is false. The CVSS vector indicates exploitation requires a low-privileged authenticated user and no victim interaction. The documented misuse is feedback submission, not broader compromise.
Researcher notes
Evidence is limited to missing authorization and feedback-submission misuse. The supplied sources do not provide endpoint detail, proof of active exploitation, or a named fixed version. Avoid assuming broader privilege escalation or data access without additional vendor evidence.
Mitigation direction
- Inventory WordPress sites for the Search in Place plugin and exact version.
- Prioritize sites allowing untrusted or low-privileged user accounts.
- Check CodePeople, WordPress plugin, or Patchstack guidance for fixed-version advice.
- Disable or restrict the plugin where exposure cannot be promptly resolved.
- Monitor for unexpected or abusive feedback submissions.
Validation and detection
- Confirm whether package search-in-place is installed on each WordPress site.
- Verify installed versions are not through 1.0.104.
- Review user roles able to authenticate to affected sites.
- Check application logs for unusual feedback submission activity.
- Document remediation status for affected WordPress properties.
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 lookupCVE-2023-26521 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:L/UI:N/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:L/UI:N/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:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:N
Source materials
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.