Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
A low-privileged WordPress user could abuse the 10Web AI Assistant plugin to install other plugins without proper authorization. That can turn a normal subscriber account into a broader site compromise path if attackers already have a login.
Executive priority
Treat as a moderate-priority WordPress remediation item. It is not reported as actively exploited here, but it can let a basic logged-in user change site software and create a path to deeper compromise.
Technical view
CVE-2023-6985 is a CWE-862 missing authorization issue in the plugin's install_plugin AJAX action through version 1.0.18. Authenticated users with subscriber-level access or higher could install arbitrary plugins. CVSS is 6.5 with high integrity impact.
Likely exposure
Exposure is limited to WordPress sites running 10Web AI Assistant – AI content writing assistant version 1.0.18 or earlier, where an attacker has any authenticated account at subscriber level or above.
Exploitation context
The source bundle does not show KEV listing or confirmed active exploitation. The bug is still meaningful because WordPress subscriber access is common on membership, customer, or content sites.
Researcher notes
Focus validation on the install_plugin AJAX authorization path and affected versions through 1.0.18. Do not assume unauthenticated exposure from the provided sources. The WordPress Trac changeset is relevant for understanding the vendor-side correction.
Mitigation direction
- Upgrade the 10Web AI Assistant plugin beyond affected versions if a fixed release is available.
- Check vendor and WordPress plugin guidance for the corrected release details.
- Disable or remove the plugin if it cannot be safely updated.
- Limit subscriber account creation and review existing low-privileged accounts.
- Review recently installed plugins for unauthorized or unexpected additions.
Validation and detection
- Inventory WordPress sites for the 10Web AI Assistant plugin.
- Confirm installed versions are newer than 1.0.18 or otherwise remediated.
- Review plugin installation history for unexpected changes.
- Check whether public registration or subscriber accounts are enabled.
- Verify only authorized roles can install plugins after remediation.
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-862: Authorization and privilege behavior lookup
Authorization weaknesses can support privilege escalation and valid-account review, depending on exploit path. 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-2023-6985 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
- 6.5 (3.1)
- Known Exploited
- No
- Published
Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/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:U/C:N/I:H/A:N2.83.6Primary CVE scoreVulnerability scoring details
Base CVSS 3.1 score
6.5MediumVector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/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.
Missing Authorization
Missing Authorization represents a recurring weakness pattern that can create exploitable paths when design, validation, or implementation controls are missing.