CVE-2023-32243
High PUBLISHEDWordPress Essential Addons for Elementor Plugin 5.4.0-5.7.1 is vulnerable to Privilege Escalation
Not yet in CISA KEV
Recommended Action
Prioritize remediation. Validate affected assets and apply vendor fixes on an accelerated timeline.
At a Glance
Improper Authentication vulnerability in WPDeveloper Essential Addons for Elementor allows Privilege Escalation. This issue affects Essential Addons for Elementor: from 5.4.0 through 5.7.1.
- CVE Published
- May 12, 2023
- Exploitation Reported
- May 17, 2023
- CVSS
- 9.8 Critical
- EPSS
- 93.6%
Affected Versions
| Vendor | Product | Version | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| WPDeveloper |
Essential Addons for Elementor
|
5.4.0 to <= 5.7.1 Changed to unaffected at 5.7.2 |
Affected |
CVE References
- Technical Description — patchstack.com patchstack.com · Technical Description https://patchstack.com/articles/critical-privilege-escalation-in-esse...
- VDB Entry — patchstack.com patchstack.com · VDB Entry https://patchstack.com/database/vulnerability/essential-addons-for-el...
- packetstormsecurity.com/files/172457/WordPress-Elementor-Lite-5.7.1-... packetstormsecurity.com · CVE Record http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/172457/WordPress-Elementor-Lite-...
Recommended Actions
- Prioritize remediation. Validate affected assets and apply vendor fixes on an accelerated timeline.
- Check enrichment artifacts for scanner coverage and available PoCs before rolling remediation validation.
- Use the Pro API to automate enrichment, telemetry, and workflow delivery for VM, SOC, and CTI pipelines.
Known Exploited Vulnerability Sources
Catalogues that list this CVE as a known exploited vulnerability.
Per-source evidence links for KEV attestations are available through the KEVIntel Pro API.
Learn about Pro API access| Source | Added |
|---|---|
| Wordfence First | 2023-05-17 09:33 UTC |
Scanner Artifacts
Nuclei and Metasploit references linked to this CVE.
| Scanner | Reference | Detected |
|---|---|---|
| Nuclei | https://github.com/projectdiscovery/nuclei-templates/blob/main/http/cves/2023/CVE-2023-32243.yaml | Apr 25, 2025 |
Virtual Patch
Compensating WAF rules to help reduce exposure to this CVE. Rule content and deployable vendor exports are available with KEVIntel Enterprise.
KEVIntel does not currently have a virtual patch for this CVE. When available, KEVIntel virtual patches ship as deployable ModSecurity, Cloudflare, and AWS WAF rules.
Enterprise feature. Virtual patch rule content and deployable vendor exports (ModSecurity, Cloudflare, AWS WAF) are available to KEVIntel Enterprise users.
CVSS Scores
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Exploitation Status
Proof of concept available
Recorded 2023-05-15 09:39:45 UTC · GitHub
Weaknesses (CWE)
-
Improper Authentication
Scanner Integrations
| Scanner | Reference | Detected |
|---|---|---|
| Nuclei | https://github.com/projectdiscovery/nuclei-templates/blob/main/http/cves/2023/CVE-2023-32243.yaml | Apr 25, 2025 |
Potential Proof of Concepts
These PoCs are unverified and could contain malware. Use at your own risk.
github · Created 2023-07-29 20:43:16 UTC · 2 stars
Mass-CVE-2023-32243
github · Created 2023-07-03 04:16:16 UTC · 5 stars
Wordpress CVE-2023-32243
github · Created 2023-05-15 09:39:45 UTC · 81 stars
CVE-2023-32243 - Essential Addons for Elementor 5.4.0-5.7.1 - Unauthenticated Privilege Escalation
github · Created 2023-05-14 19:32:50 UTC · 3 stars
Exploit for CVE-2023-32243 - Unauthorized Account Takeover.
nuclei · Created Unknown
Timeline
Key exploitation, disclosure, scanner coverage, and KEV attestation events for this CVE.
-
00:00 UTC about 1 year ago00:00 UTC · about 1 year ago
Nuclei template available
Scanner coverage available
-
09:33 UTC about 3 years ago09:33 UTC · about 3 years ago
Added to KEVIntel KEV Feed
High-confidence, third-party attested exploitation
-
09:39 UTC about 3 years ago09:39 UTC · about 3 years ago
Public PoC available
Public proof-of-concept code published
-
07:23 UTC about 3 years ago07:23 UTC · about 3 years ago
CVE published
Vulnerability disclosed publicly
-
08:13 UTC about 3 years ago08:13 UTC · about 3 years ago
CVE ID reserved
Identifier reserved by the CNA
Automate This Intelligence with the Pro API
Confidence scoring, exploit status, sensor telemetry, PoCs, scanner integrations, mentions, and tags are available programmatically for VM, SOC, and CTI workflows.
Pro API Example
GET /api/v2/pro/kevs/CVE-2023-32243
{
"cve_id": "CVE-2023-32243",
"title": "WordPress Essential Addons for Elementor Plugin 5.4.0-5.7.1 is vulnerable to ...",
"affected_vendor": "WPDeveloper",
"affected_product": "Essential Addons for Elementor",
"affected_versions": [
{ "vendor": "...", "product": "...", "status": "affected", "display_label": "..." }
],
"confidence": "High",
"cvss_score": 9.8,
"epss_score": 0.93638,
"exploit_status": {
"exploited_in_the_wild": false,
"active_exploitation_observed": false
},
"sensor_telemetry": { "...": "Pro API fields" },
"proof_of_concepts": [ "..." ],
"scanner_integrations": [ "..." ]
}