CVE-2023-45275
📋 TL;DR
This vulnerability allows attackers to bypass authorization controls in Kali Forms WordPress plugin, potentially accessing or modifying form data without proper permissions. It affects all WordPress sites running Kali Forms versions up to 2.3.28.
💻 Affected Systems
- Kali Forms Contact Form builder with drag & drop
⚠️ 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 access sensitive form submissions, modify form configurations, or potentially escalate privileges within the WordPress admin interface.
Likely Case
Unauthorized access to form submissions containing personal data, contact information, or other sensitive user-provided content.
If Mitigated
Limited impact with proper network segmentation and additional authentication layers, though the core vulnerability remains.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires some WordPress access but bypasses plugin-specific authorization controls.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: 2.3.29 or later
Restart Required: No
Instructions:
1. Log into WordPress admin panel. 2. Navigate to Plugins → Installed Plugins. 3. Find Kali Forms and click 'Update Now'. 4. Verify version is 2.3.29 or higher.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Disable Kali Forms Plugin
allTemporarily deactivate the plugin until patched
wp plugin deactivate kali-forms
Restrict Admin Access
allLimit WordPress admin access to trusted IP addresses only
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement web application firewall rules to block suspicious form-related requests
- Enable detailed logging for all Kali Forms plugin activities and monitor for unauthorized access
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check WordPress admin → Plugins → Installed Plugins → Kali Forms versionCheck Version:
wp plugin get kali-forms --field=versionVerify Fix Applied:
Confirm Kali Forms version is 2.3.29 or higher in WordPress plugins list📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unauthorized access attempts to Kali Forms admin endpoints
- Unexpected form data access or modification logs
Network Indicators:
- Unusual requests to /wp-admin/admin-ajax.php with kali-forms actions from unauthorized users
SIEM Query:
source="wordpress.log" AND ("kali-forms" OR "kali_forms") AND ("admin" OR "ajax") AND status=200 AND user NOT IN [authorized_users]