Blog

"Prevention is cheaper than a breach"

Home / Threats / CVE-2023-5991

CVE-2023-5991 - Before 4 Plugin

CVE-2023-5991

The Hotel Booking Lite WordPress plugin before 4.8.5 does not validate file paths provided via user input, as well as does not have proper CSRF and authorisation checks, allowing unauthenticated users to download and delete arbitrary files on the server

CVE-2023-5991

CRITICAL CVSS 9.8 Published 2023-12-26 Updated 2024-11-21
AI Risk Critical (96/100) Active Exploit: No strong signal Published Exploit: No public exploit references Priority: P1 Immediate
Severity Band CRITICAL
CVSS Vector CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Affected Components 2
Reference Links 1
AI Risk Engine Critical (96/100)
Exploitability High
Active Exploitation No strong signal
Published Exploit Status No public exploit references

Threat Timeline

  1. 2023-12-26 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 07:50 UTC)

Technical Summary

The Hotel Booking Lite WordPress plugin before 4.8.5 does not validate file paths provided via user input, as well as does not have proper CSRF and authorisation checks, allowing unauthenticated users to download and delete arbitrary files on the server

Potential Impact

Severity is CRITICAL (CVSS 9.8). 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 low-bar exploit prerequisites.

Primary risk drivers: low-bar exploit prerequisites

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.

Affected Products

Before 4 PLUGIN · before-4 Affected: < 4.8.5 Fixed in: 4.8.5
Hotel Booking Lite PLUGIN · hotel-booking-lite Affected: < 4.8.5 Fixed in: 4.8.5
Scroll to top