Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
CVE-2023-51535 is a CSRF issue in the CleanTalk WordPress anti-spam/firewall plugin through version 6.20. An attacker could trick a logged-in user into causing an unintended state change. The published impact is limited to low integrity impact, with no confidentiality or availability impact stated.
Executive priority
Treat this as a routine but real WordPress hygiene issue. It is not supported as actively exploited in the provided sources, but affected internet-facing WordPress sites should be identified and updated through normal patch operations.
Technical view
The issue is classified as CWE-352 Cross-Site Request Forgery. CVSS 3.1 is 4.3: network exploitable, low complexity, no attacker privileges required, user interaction required, unchanged scope, low integrity impact, no confidentiality or availability impact. Sources identify affected versions through 6.20 of cleantalk-spam-protect.
Likely exposure
Exposure is limited to WordPress sites using Spam protection, Anti-Spam, FireWall by CleanTalk versions through 6.20. Sites not running this plugin, or running versions outside the affected range per vendor guidance, are not indicated as affected in the provided sources.
Exploitation context
The source bundle does not show CISA KEV listing or any cited evidence of active exploitation. The attack requires user interaction, consistent with CSRF, and the published CVSS impact is limited to integrity.
Researcher notes
Evidence is sparse: the bundle provides the CVE description, CVSS vector, affected range through 6.20, CWE-352, and Patchstack reference. It does not provide endpoint details, proof-of-concept information, exploitation telemetry, or a named fixed version.
Mitigation direction
- Inventory WordPress sites for the CleanTalk plugin and version.
- If version is 6.20 or earlier, check CleanTalk or Patchstack guidance.
- Update the plugin according to vendor-confirmed fixed-version guidance.
- If no safe update is available, assess temporary plugin disablement risk.
- Monitor administrative plugin-setting changes for unexpected activity.
Validation and detection
- Confirm whether cleantalk-spam-protect is installed on each WordPress site.
- Record the installed plugin version and compare it to the affected range.
- Check vendor or Patchstack advisories for fixed-version details.
- Review recent administrative changes involving anti-spam or firewall settings.
- Validate remediation by confirming the plugin is no longer in the affected range.
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-2023-51535 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:N/UI:R/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:N/UI:R/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:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:N
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.