Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
This flaw lets a logged-in low-privilege user upload a dangerous file through the Elementor Website Builder plugin. On an exposed WordPress site, that can threaten site confidentiality, integrity, and availability. The source bundle rates it critical, but does not cite confirmed active exploitation.
Executive priority
Treat this as urgent for any business-critical WordPress site using Elementor. The vulnerability is critical and can affect full site control, but prioritization should be based on confirmed affected versions and whether low-privilege accounts exist.
Technical view
CVE-2023-48777 is a CWE-434 unrestricted upload of a dangerous file type in Elementor Website Builder versions 3.3.0 through 3.18.1. CVSS 3.1 is 9.9 with network access, low complexity, low privileges required, no user interaction, changed scope, and high impact to confidentiality, integrity, and availability.
Likely exposure
Exposure is likely limited to WordPress sites running Elementor Website Builder in the affected 3.3.0 through 3.18.1 range. Risk is higher where untrusted or broadly assigned low-privilege accounts can authenticate to the WordPress site.
Exploitation context
The bundle does not identify CISA KEV listing or confirmed active exploitation. The CVSS vector indicates practical exploitation conditions once a low-privilege account exists: remote network access, low attack complexity, and no victim interaction.
Researcher notes
Evidence is limited to the CVE source bundle and Patchstack reference. The bundle names affected range and CVSS details, but does not provide exploit details, a named fixed version, or confirmed exploitation status. Avoid assuming broader Elementor products are affected.
Mitigation direction
- Inventory WordPress sites using Elementor Website Builder.
- Identify installations running versions 3.3.0 through 3.18.1.
- Apply Elementor or Patchstack remediation guidance before redeploying affected sites.
- Limit low-privilege WordPress account access until remediation is complete.
- Review recent plugin upload activity and unexpected site files.
Validation and detection
- Confirm the installed Elementor Website Builder version on each WordPress site.
- Verify affected versions are no longer present after remediation.
- Check whether public routes expose WordPress login or registration paths.
- Review WordPress user roles for unnecessary low-privilege accounts.
- Inspect logs for suspicious upload activity during the exposure window.
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-434: File access and web shell behavior lookup
File traversal and upload weaknesses can lead teams to review file, web shell, execution, and collection telemetry. 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 lookupFile access behavior lookup
The CVE wording references file access or upload behavior, so file telemetry and web shell review may help. This is a Glexia inferred lookup path, not an official MITRE, ATT&CK, or CVE Program mapping.
Open ATT&CK lookupCVE-2023-48777 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
- Critical
- CVSS
- 9.9 (3.1)
- Known Exploited
- No
- Published
Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H
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:C/C:H/I:H/A:H3.16Primary CVE scoreVulnerability scoring details
Base CVSS 3.1 score
9.9CriticalVector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H
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.
Unrestricted Upload of File with Dangerous Type
Unrestricted Upload of File with Dangerous Type represents a recurring weakness pattern that can create exploitable paths when design, validation, or implementation controls are missing.