Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
CVE-2023-6497 is a stored cross-site scripting issue in the WordPress Simple Shopping Cart plugin. It requires an authenticated administrator-level attacker, so the business risk is mainly from compromised or malicious admins. Impact is narrower because sources say it only affects multisite installs and installs where unfiltered_html is disabled.
Executive priority
Treat as a moderate-priority hygiene fix. It is not reported as actively exploited, and it requires admin privileges, but exposed WordPress stores should update because stored XSS can undermine customer trust and session security after admin compromise.
Technical view
The plugin fails to sufficiently sanitize and escape the automatic redirect URL setting in versions up to and including 4.7.1. An administrator-level user can store script content that executes when an affected page is accessed. The CVSS 3.1 score is 4.4 with high privileges and high attack complexity.
Likely exposure
Exposure is likely limited to WordPress environments using Simple Shopping Cart version 4.7.1 or earlier, with multisite enabled or unfiltered_html disabled. Single-site installations where administrators retain unfiltered_html are not identified as affected in the provided sources.
Exploitation context
The source bundle does not show CISA KEV listing or active exploitation. Practical abuse would require administrator-level access first, making this more relevant after credential compromise, insider misuse, or overly broad admin delegation.
Researcher notes
The affected condition is narrower than typical WordPress XSS: administrator-level privileges are required, and only multisite or disabled unfiltered_html installs are described as affected. The provided affected metadata is sparse, so validation should rely on actual plugin version and WordPress configuration.
Mitigation direction
- Inventory WordPress sites for Simple Shopping Cart version 4.7.1 or earlier.
- Check WordPress.org or vendor guidance for the fixed plugin release.
- Update the plugin where a vendor-supported fixed version is available.
- Restrict administrator access to trusted accounts only.
- Review whether multisite or disabled unfiltered_html creates exposure.
Validation and detection
- Confirm installed plugin name and version across WordPress estates.
- Identify whether each site is multisite or has unfiltered_html disabled.
- Review admin account list for stale, shared, or unnecessary privileges.
- Check plugin settings for unexpected automatic redirect URL values.
- After updating, confirm the affected setting is sanitized and escaped.
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-2023-6497 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
- 4.4 (3.1)
- Known Exploited
- No
- Published
Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:H/UI:N/S:C/C:L/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:H/PR:H/UI:N/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N1.32.7Primary CVE scoreVulnerability scoring details
Base CVSS 3.1 score
4.4MediumVector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:H/UI:N/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N
Source materials
- CVE List V5 sourceCVE List V5
- https://www.wordfence.com/threat-intel/vulnerabilities/id/ac6201a1-7ca9-461b-b9ad-16407120dfae?source=cveCVE reference
- https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/changeset?sfp_email=&sfph_mail=&reponame=&old=3007737%40wordpress-simple-paypal-shopping-cart&new=3007737%40wordpress-simple-paypal-shopping-cart&sfp_email=&sfph_mail=CVE reference
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.