CVE-2023-25486
📋 TL;DR
The Migrate Clone WordPress plugin versions up to 2.3.7 have a missing authorization vulnerability that allows attackers to exploit incorrectly configured access controls. This enables unauthorized users to perform actions intended only for administrators, affecting all WordPress sites using vulnerable versions of this plugin.
💻 Affected Systems
- WordPress Clone by WP Academy plugin (also called Migrate Clone)
⚠️ Manual Verification Required
This CVE does not have specific version information in our database, so automatic vulnerability detection cannot determine if your system is affected.
Why? The CVE database entry doesn't specify which versions are vulnerable (no version ranges provided by the vendor/NVD).
🔒 Custom verification scripts are available for registered users. Sign up free to download automated test scripts.
- Review the CVE details at NVD
- Check vendor security advisories for your specific version
- Test if the vulnerability is exploitable in your environment
- Consider updating to the latest version as a precaution
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Attackers could modify site content, inject malicious code, or take full administrative control of the WordPress site.
Likely Case
Unauthorized users could access or modify plugin settings, potentially disrupting site functionality or exposing sensitive information.
If Mitigated
With proper access controls and authentication requirements, the vulnerability would be prevented from being exploited.
🎯 Exploit Status
The vulnerability is a classic broken access control issue where endpoints lack proper authorization checks. Attackers can directly access administrative functions without authentication.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: 2.3.8 or later
Restart Required: No
Instructions:
1. Log into WordPress admin panel. 2. Navigate to Plugins → Installed Plugins. 3. Find 'Clone' or 'Migrate Clone' plugin. 4. Click 'Update Now' if update is available. 5. Alternatively, download version 2.3.8+ from WordPress repository and manually update.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Disable vulnerable plugin
allTemporarily deactivate the Clone plugin until patched
wp plugin deactivate wp-clone-by-wp-academy
Restrict plugin access via .htaccess
linuxBlock direct access to plugin files via web server configuration
# Add to .htaccess:
<FilesMatch "^(wp-clone|clone)\.php$">
Order Deny,Allow
Deny from all
</FilesMatch>
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Remove the Clone plugin entirely if migration functionality is not currently needed
- Implement web application firewall rules to block requests to vulnerable plugin endpoints
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check WordPress admin → Plugins → Installed Plugins for 'Clone' or 'Migrate Clone' version 2.3.7 or earlierCheck Version:
wp plugin get wp-clone-by-wp-academy --field=versionVerify Fix Applied:
Confirm plugin version is 2.3.8 or higher in WordPress admin panel📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unauthorized POST/GET requests to /wp-content/plugins/wp-clone-by-wp-academy/ endpoints
- 403/401 errors followed by successful 200 responses to admin functions
Network Indicators:
- HTTP requests to clone.php or wp-clone endpoints from unauthenticated sources
- Unusual traffic patterns to migration/clone functionality
SIEM Query:
source="wordpress.log" AND (uri_path="/wp-content/plugins/wp-clone*" OR uri_path="*/clone.php") AND response_code=200 AND user_agent NOT CONTAINS "admin"