Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
This is a medium-severity CSRF issue in the WordPress Configurable Tag Cloud plugin through version 5.2. A successful attack would require user interaction and could cause limited unauthorized changes or disruption through a victim’s browser. The public source bundle does not identify active exploitation or a confirmed fixed version.
Executive priority
Treat this as a scheduled remediation item, not an emergency, unless the plugin is broadly deployed on business-critical WordPress sites. Prioritize confirming whether the plugin exists in your estate and whether a supported update or removal path is available.
Technical view
CVE-2023-28995 is CWE-352 affecting Keith Solomon Configurable Tag Cloud (CTC), slug configurable-tag-cloud-widget, versions <= 5.2. CVSS 3.1 is 5.4 with network attack vector, low complexity, no attacker privileges, and required user interaction. Reported impact is low integrity and low availability, with no confidentiality impact.
Likely exposure
Exposure is likely limited to WordPress sites that installed Configurable Tag Cloud (CTC) at version 5.2 or earlier. Sites not using this plugin are not indicated as affected. The bundle does not provide install counts, vulnerable endpoints, or hosting-specific exposure details.
Exploitation context
The source bundle marks this CVE as not in CISA KEV and provides no cited evidence of active exploitation. CSRF generally depends on tricking a logged-in user into performing an unintended action, but the supplied sources do not describe the exact action or affected request.
Researcher notes
The public data is sparse: it identifies CSRF, affected plugin, version range, CVSS, and Patchstack reference, but not the vulnerable action, nonce behavior, endpoint, proof of concept, or patch status. Avoid assuming exploitability beyond the published CVSS and CSRF classification.
Mitigation direction
- Inventory WordPress sites for configurable-tag-cloud-widget installations.
- Confirm whether installed versions are 5.2 or earlier.
- Check vendor, WordPress plugin, and Patchstack guidance for a fixed release.
- Disable or remove the plugin if no supported fixed version is available.
- Limit administrative sessions to trusted devices and networks where practical.
Validation and detection
- Verify plugin name, slug, and version in each WordPress deployment.
- Compare findings against the affected version range: <= 5.2.
- Review administrative change logs for unexpected plugin or widget changes.
- Check CVE and Patchstack records for updated remediation details.
- Document sites where the plugin is absent or already removed.
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-2023-28995 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
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.
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.