CVE-2023-46632
📋 TL;DR
This CVE describes a Missing Authorization vulnerability in the WordPress My Shortcodes plugin that allows attackers to exploit incorrectly configured access controls. It affects all versions up to 2.3, potentially allowing unauthorized users to access administrative functions or modify shortcode settings.
💻 Affected Systems
- WordPress My Shortcodes plugin
⚠️ 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 gain administrative privileges, modify site content, inject malicious code, or compromise the entire WordPress installation.
Likely Case
Unauthorized users could modify shortcode configurations, inject malicious content, or access restricted plugin functionality.
If Mitigated
With proper access controls and authentication, impact would be limited to authorized users only.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires understanding of WordPress plugin structure and access control mechanisms.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: Version after 2.3
Restart Required: No
Instructions:
1. Log into WordPress admin panel
2. Navigate to Plugins > Installed Plugins
3. Find My Shortcodes plugin
4. Click 'Update Now' if available
5. If no update available, deactivate and remove the plugin
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Disable Plugin
allTemporarily deactivate the My Shortcodes plugin until patched version is available
wp plugin deactivate my-shortcodes
Restrict Access
allImplement IP-based restrictions to WordPress admin area
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Remove the My Shortcodes plugin completely
- Implement web application firewall rules to block suspicious access patterns
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check WordPress admin panel > Plugins > My Shortcodes version. If version is 2.3 or earlier, you are vulnerable.Check Version:
wp plugin get my-shortcodes --field=versionVerify Fix Applied:
Verify plugin version is greater than 2.3 or plugin is removed/deactivated.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unauthorized access attempts to My Shortcodes admin endpoints
- Multiple failed authentication attempts followed by successful access
Network Indicators:
- Unusual POST requests to /wp-admin/admin-ajax.php with my-shortcodes parameters
- Requests from unexpected IPs to plugin-specific endpoints
SIEM Query:
source="wordpress.log" AND ("my-shortcodes" OR "admin-ajax.php") AND (status=200 OR status=302) AND user="unauthenticated"