Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
BackWPup for WordPress stored backup destination passwords in plaintext through version 4.0.2. An attacker would already need administrator access, but could then read credentials for backup storage locations and potentially use them outside WordPress.
Executive priority
Treat as low urgency unless affected sites have sensitive backup repositories or poor administrator account control. The main business concern is credential exposure after admin compromise, so prioritize patching, credential rotation, and admin access hygiene.
Technical view
CVE-2023-5775 is a CWE-256 plaintext credential storage issue in BackWPup <= 4.0.2. Backup destination passwords were retrievable from the plugin UI password field or the WordPress options table by authenticated administrator-level users. CVSS 3.1 score is 2.2.
Likely exposure
Exposure is limited to WordPress sites running BackWPup versions up to and including 4.0.2, where backup destination passwords were saved in plugin configuration. Risk is higher if many administrators exist or admin accounts are weakly controlled.
Exploitation context
The source bundle does not show active exploitation, and the CVE is not listed as KEV. Abuse requires administrator-level WordPress access, so this is mainly a post-compromise credential exposure issue rather than an initial access vulnerability.
Researcher notes
The provided evidence supports plaintext storage and administrator-level retrieval only. It does not establish unauthenticated access, privilege escalation, public exploitation, or a named fixed version. Avoid expanding scope beyond BackWPup <= 4.0.2 without additional vendor evidence.
Mitigation direction
- Update BackWPup to a vendor-maintained version newer than 4.0.2.
- Review vendor guidance and the referenced WordPress plugin changeset.
- Rotate backup destination passwords stored by affected plugin versions.
- Restrict WordPress administrator access to trusted, necessary users only.
- Review backup storage permissions for unnecessary broad access.
Validation and detection
- Identify WordPress sites running BackWPup and record plugin versions.
- Confirm no affected site remains on version 4.0.2 or earlier.
- Check whether backup destination credentials were configured in affected versions.
- Audit administrator accounts active during the affected period.
- Review backup storage access logs for unexpected credential use.
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-256: Exact CWE lookup
Use the exact CWE identifier as the starting point before reviewing related ATT&CK behavior. 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 lookupCredential and access behavior lookup
The CVE wording references authentication or credential exposure, so valid-account and credential-access review may help. This is a Glexia inferred lookup path, not an official MITRE, ATT&CK, or CVE Program mapping.
Open ATT&CK lookupCVE-2023-5775 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
- Low
- CVSS
- 2.2 (3.1)
- Known Exploited
- No
- Published
Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:N/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:H/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:N0.71.4Primary CVE scoreVulnerability scoring details
Base CVSS 3.1 score
2.2LowVector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:N/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.
Plaintext Storage of a Password
Plaintext Storage of a Password represents a recurring weakness pattern that can create exploitable paths when design, validation, or implementation controls are missing.