WordPress Vulnerability Report – May 24, 2023

On May 20, 2023, WordPress 6.2.2 was released to address a regression — a bug introduced in 6.2.1 that broke shortcode functionality — as well as a security issue. Because 6.2.2 is a security release, you should update your sites immediately. All versions since WordPress 5.9 have also been updated. The next major version of WordPress core slated for an August release will be 6.3.

WordPress core has been updated to secure 6 vulnerabilities disclosed with its 6.2.1-6.2.2 releases. In the plugin and theme ecosystem, 97 total vulnerabilities emerged in public disclosure. They may affect over 5 million WordPress sites. Out of the total number, there are 64 plugin vulnerabilities that have security patches available.

Additionally, there are 22 plugin vulnerabilities and 11 theme vulnerabilities with no patch available yet. If you are using any unpatched plugins or themes, check their vendors’ intentions and progress on a security release. If no patch is forthcoming or the vulnerable software has been closed and dropped from the official WordPress theme and plugin repositories, you should consider deactivation and removal in favor of alternative solutions.

WordPress core is very secure when it’s properly configured and maintained. Vulnerable plugins that have not been updated by site owners are the most common vector for attacks on WordPress websites. Our weekly WordPress Vulnerability Report, powered by Patchstack, covers new WordPress plugin, theme, and core vulnerabilities that have emerged since last week’s report. Our goal is to spread awareness of emerging security threats and help you decide what to do if you are using vulnerable software on your website. For a deeper analysis of recent trends in WordPress vulnerabilities and threat vectors, see our 2022 Annual Vulnerability Report.

These reports are published every Wednesday and include all active vulnerabilities tracked by Patchstack as of Monday since the previous report. This leaves a 48-hour window for the newest emerging vulnerabilities to be patched before full public disclosure. iThemes Security Pro users have access to vulnerability alerts emerging within this window.

In this section, you’ll find the most recently disclosed WordPress plugin vulnerabilities that have been fixed with a new release from their authors and maintainers. Please apply the updates if you are affected!

These vulnerabilities have been disclosed and scored for their severity, thanks to our friends at Patchstack. Each plugin listing includes the type of vulnerability with its CVE number and CVSS severity rating with links to more technical details. You’ll also see the number of active sites using the plugin and the plugin version release that patches the vulnerability. We start with the most popular plugins, which represent the largest target for attackers.

This section contains plugin vulnerabilities with no known fix. Until a patch is available, you are advised to deactivate the plugin, at minimum, immediately. If there is a high risk of active exploits or the plugin remains unpatched for weeks, you are advised to delete the plugin. You should also delete persistently unpatched plugins the WordPress.org repository has locked and marked “Closed” so they can no longer be downloaded and installed.

In this section, you’ll find the latest WordPress theme vulnerabilities to be disclosed. You’ll see the same information provided above for vulnerable plugins, and the same advice applies. If a security update exists, install it immediately. If a vulnerability remains unpatched in a theme you are actively using, you will need to find an alternative theme. Deactivate and delete persistently unpatched themes and those that have been “Closed” in the WordPress.org theme repository. If you have a vulnerable theme installed that you are not actively using, simply delete it.