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WPForms - Privilege Escalation (CVE-2023-52209)

CVE-2023-52209

Vulnerability CVE-2023-52209 PLUGIN wpforms HIGH

Improper Privilege Management vulnerability in WPForms, LLC. WPForms User Registration allows Privilege Escalation.This issue affects WPForms User Registration: from n/a through 2.1.0.

CVE-2023-52209

HIGH CVSS 8.0 Published 2024-08-01 Updated 2026-06-17
AI Risk Elevated (72/100) Active Exploit: No strong signal Published Exploit: No public exploit references Priority: P3 Priority
Severity Band HIGH
CVSS Vector CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Affected Components 1
Reference Links 1
AI Risk Engine Elevated (72/100)
Exploitability High
Active Exploitation No strong signal
Published Exploit Status No public exploit references

Threat Timeline

  1. 2024-08-01 CVE published and first recorded in the threat feed.
  2. 2026-06-17 Record updated with latest vulnerability metadata.
  3. 2026-09-18 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 46 days ago

AI enriched 46 days ago (2026-09-18 12:21 UTC)

Technical Summary

Improper Privilege Management vulnerability in WPForms, LLC. WPForms User Registration allows Privilege Escalation.This issue affects WPForms User Registration: from n/a through 2.1.0.

Potential Impact

Severity is HIGH (CVSS 8.0). 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 severity and technical exposure profile.

Primary risk drivers: severity and technical exposure profile

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

AI risk score 72/100 (Elevated, High) with priority P3 Priority. Prioritize remediation where affected components process customer data, admin sessions, or Internet-exposed workflows.

Affected Products

WPForms PLUGIN · wpforms Affected: <= 2.1.0 Fixed version not specified

Related Vulnerabilities

Browse All Threats

Newest linked vulnerabilities to keep visitors exploring adjacent CVE coverage.

WPForms - Security Vulnerability (CVE-2026-101921) CVE-2026-101921 Published 2026-10-10 WPForms - Security Vulnerability (CVE-2026-88996) CVE-2026-88996 Published 2026-09-25 WPForms - Security Vulnerability (CVE-2026-74991) CVE-2026-74991 Published 2026-09-24 WPForms - Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) (CVE-2026-15782) CVE-2026-15782 Published 2026-07-21 WPForms - Security Vulnerability (CVE-2026-12127) CVE-2026-12127 Published 2026-07-01 WPForms - PHP Object Injection (CVE-2026-9691) CVE-2026-9691 Published 2026-06-15

References

What to do about this

Patch promptly The consequence is significant even where an attacker needs a foothold first.

Fix it

Update WPForms to the latest available version.

Where the vendor has not published a fix yet, disable the plugin until they do.

Cannot update today? Unauthorised administrator detection in Hack Halt ProSecure blocks this class of attack before WordPress processes the request.

Alert when a new administrator appears or a role is escalated. Creating a hidden admin is the most common persistence step after a WordPress compromise.

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Not sure if you are affected?

Scan your site to see whether it runs WPForms, and at which version.

Free, no installation, no account. It reads what your site already publishes, then tells you which plugins carry known vulnerabilities and what to do about each one.

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Am I affected by this vulnerability?

You are affected if your site runs WPForms.

How do I fix it?

Update WPForms to the latest available version. Where the vendor has not yet published a fix, remove or disable the plugin until they do. Until you can update, Unauthorised administrator detection in Hack Halt ProSecure contains this class of attack at the request layer.

What can an attacker actually do?

This is a Privilege Escalation flaw. An attacker who exploits it can raise a low-privilege account, or none at all, to administrator.

WordPress security that blocks attacks before they land.

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