Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
CVE-2023-6701 is a stored cross-site scripting issue in the WordPress Advanced Custom Fields plugin through version 6.2.4. A contributor-level user could save malicious script content in a custom text field, causing it to run for people who view the affected page.
Executive priority
Treat this as a routine but time-sensitive web application fix. It is not known exploited from the provided sources, but stored XSS can damage user trust and admin sessions if abused by an insider or compromised contributor account.
Technical view
The issue is CWE-79 stored XSS caused by insufficient sanitization and output escaping for custom text field content. It requires authenticated contributor-level privileges or higher. CVSS 3.1 is 6.4: network reachable, low complexity, low privileges, changed scope, limited confidentiality and integrity impact, no availability impact.
Likely exposure
Exposure is most likely on WordPress sites using Advanced Custom Fields versions up to and including 6.2.4, especially where contributor or author accounts can edit content with custom fields.
Exploitation context
The source bundle does not show CISA KEV listing or cited active exploitation. Practical abuse requires a valid low-privilege account, then execution occurs when users access an injected page.
Researcher notes
Evidence supports ACF through 6.2.4 and a 6.2.5 security release. The affected-product metadata in the source bundle is sparse, so validate exact package coverage against the vendor advisory before closing Pro or forked installations.
Mitigation direction
- Update Advanced Custom Fields to version 6.2.5 or later per vendor guidance.
- Inventory WordPress sites using ACF and identify versions at or below 6.2.4.
- Restrict contributor-level access to trusted users until patched.
- Review recent custom field changes by contributor-level accounts.
- Monitor vendor and Wordfence guidance for any additional remediation detail.
Validation and detection
- Check installed ACF version across WordPress environments.
- Confirm contributor-level users cannot persist script content in custom text fields after updating.
- Review pages using custom text fields for unexpected script content.
- Verify no untrusted contributor, author, or editor accounts remain active.
- Document patch status and exception owners for any delayed sites.
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-2023-6701 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
- 6.4 (3.1)
- Known Exploited
- No
- Published
Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/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:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N3.12.7Primary CVE scoreVulnerability scoring details
Base CVSS 3.1 score
6.4MediumVector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/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/e3593dfd-7b2a-4d01-8af0-725b444dc81b?source=cveCVE reference
- https://www.advancedcustomfields.com/blog/acf-6-2-5-security-release/CVE reference
- https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/changeset/3022469/advanced-custom-fieldsCVE 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.