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CVE-2023-4505 - Ldap Ad Staff Employee Directory Search Plugin

CVE-2023-4505

The Staff / Employee Business Directory for Active Directory plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to LDAP Passback in versions up to, and including, 1.2.3. This is due to insufficient validation when changing the LDAP server. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers, with administrative access and above, to change the LDAP server and retrieve the credentials for the original LDAP server.

CVE-2023-4505

LOW CVSS 2.2 Published 2023-09-27 Updated 2024-11-21
AI Risk Low (28/100) Active Exploit: No strong signal Published Exploit: No public exploit references Priority: P5 Monitor
Severity Band LOW
CVSS Vector CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:N
Affected Components 1
Reference Links 3
AI Risk Engine Low (28/100)
Exploitability High
Active Exploitation No strong signal
Published Exploit Status No public exploit references

Threat Timeline

  1. 2023-09-27 CVE published and first recorded in the threat feed.
  2. 2024-11-21 Record updated with latest vulnerability metadata.
  3. 2026-04-09 AI technical context refreshed for mitigation and impact guidance.
  4. Now Monitoring for follow-up changes, linked references, and new related CVEs.

AI Context

Machine-generated threat intelligence

AI Updated 7 days ago

AI enriched 7 days ago (2026-04-09 06:36 UTC)

Technical Summary

The Staff / Employee Business Directory for Active Directory plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to LDAP Passback in versions up to, and including, 1.2.3. This is due to insufficient validation when changing the LDAP server. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers, with administrative access and above, to change the LDAP server and retrieve the credentials for the original LDAP server.

Potential Impact

Severity is LOW (CVSS 2.2). Depending on deployment context, affected components may be exposed to unauthorized actions or data integrity risk.

Exploitability Assessment

Exploitability is assessed as High based on remote code execution potential.

Primary risk drivers: remote code execution potential

Mitigation Recommendations

Validate affected product versions, prioritize patching, and monitor references for vendor remediation guidance. If immediate patching is not possible, apply compensating controls and limit exposure of vulnerable surfaces.

Detection & Monitoring

Track authentication anomalies, unexpected file writes, and suspicious plugin API activity around affected components.

Business Impact Lens

Prioritize remediation where affected components process customer data, admin sessions, or Internet-exposed workflows.

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