Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
CVE-2023-46194 is a reflected cross-site scripting issue in the WordPress Archivist – Custom Archive Templates plugin version 1.7.5 and earlier. An attacker may need a user to interact with a crafted link or page. The sources do not show active exploitation or name a fixed release.
Executive priority
Treat this as a moderate WordPress application risk. It is not KEV-listed and needs user interaction, but exposed public sites should be inventoried and remediated because XSS can affect user trust and administrative sessions.
Technical view
The vulnerability is unauthenticated reflected XSS, mapped to CWE-79, in package archivist-custom-archive-templates. CVSS 3.1 is 5.8 with network access, high attack complexity, no privileges, required user interaction, changed scope, and low confidentiality, integrity, and availability impact.
Likely exposure
Internet-facing WordPress sites using the Archivist – Custom Archive Templates plugin at version 1.7.5 or earlier are the relevant exposure group. Sites without this plugin are not indicated as affected by the source bundle.
Exploitation context
KEV is false, and the provided sources do not state active exploitation. The CVSS vector indicates user interaction is required and attack complexity is high, reducing immediate mass-exploitation concern but not eliminating phishing or session-impact risk.
Researcher notes
Evidence is limited to vulnerability metadata and a Patchstack entry. No affected parameter, proof of concept, exploit campaign, or fixed version is included in the supplied bundle. Validation should focus on installed plugin presence, version state, and current vendor guidance.
Mitigation direction
- Inventory WordPress sites for the Archivist plugin and version.
- Check vendor or plugin repository guidance for a fixed release.
- Disable or remove the plugin where business use is not required.
- Apply compensating controls for reflected XSS at the web layer.
- Prioritize public sites with authenticated users or administrators.
Validation and detection
- Confirm whether archivist-custom-archive-templates is installed and active.
- Verify whether any installed version is 1.7.5 or earlier.
- Review vendor, CVE, and Patchstack records for remediation updates.
- Check security logs for unusual requests to plugin-related pages.
- Avoid live exploit reproduction unless explicitly authorized.
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-79: 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-2023-46194 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
- 5.8 (3.1)
- Known Exploited
- No
- Published
Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:L/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:H/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:L1.63.7Primary CVE scoreVulnerability scoring details
Base CVSS 3.1 score
5.8MediumVector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:L/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.
Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting')
Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting') represents a recurring weakness pattern that can create exploitable paths when design, validation, or implementation controls are missing.