WP Meta SEO <= 4.5.2 — Missing Authorization in 'startProcess' to Arbitrary Redirect via 'update_link_redirect' task
CVE-2023-0876Published · Updated Action summary
Affected: ≤4.5.2Update to 4.5.3 or newer
All remediation steps- Severity
- High7.1
- CVSS
- 7.1CVSS 3.1 · CNA (Wordfence)
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:LWhat does this vector mean?
AV:NAttack vector- Network
AC:LAttack complexity- Low
PR:LPrivileges required- Low
UI:NUser interaction- None
S:UScope- Unchanged
C:NConfidentiality- None
I:HIntegrity- High
A:LAvailability- Low
- Weakness
- CWE-862 Missing Authorization
- Required access
- Unknown
- Exploit prediction (EPSS)
- No score
- CISA KEV
- Not listed
On this page8
Am I affected?
WP Meta SEO wp-meta-seo
- Affected≤ 4.5.2
- Patched in4.5.3
Update to 4.5.3 or newer.
You are affected if you run ≤ 4.5.2. Version 4.5.3 and later are not affected by this issue.
- Check your version: in wp-admin go to Plugins → Installed Plugins and read the version under WP Meta SEO.
- No admin access? Run a passive check of your site. It reads public files only.
What to do
- Update to version 4.5.3, or a newer patched version
- Rotate administrator passwords and application secrets if the site ran a vulnerable version while publicly reachable.
- Watch WP Meta SEO to get an email when the next vulnerability is published.
Advisory
Source description from Wordfence Intelligence, credited to dc11.
The WP Meta SEO plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to unauthorized execution of tasks due to a missing capability check on the startProcess function in versions up to, and including, 4.5.2. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers with subscriber-level access to perform tasks reserved for administrators such as post modifications. This vulnerability occurred as a result of the plugin relying on nonce checks as a means of access control, and that nonce being accessible to all authenticated users regardless of role. Attackers could leverage this to redirect victims to an arbitrary location by setting the link_redirect location through the update_link_redirect task.
Exploits & references
Proof-of-concept & detection
No public proof-of-concept or detection template is known for this vulnerability.
Advisories & patches
- Advisorywordfence.com
Related CVEs
More in WP Meta SEO
All 18| Severity | Vulnerability | CVE | Published |
|---|---|---|---|
| Medium6.4 | Authenticated (Contributor+) Server-Side Request Forgery via 'new_link' Parameter ≤4.5.18No patch available | CVE-2026-11370 | |
| High7.2 | Unauthenticated Stored Cross-Site Scripting via REQUEST_URI in 404 Logging ≤4.5.18No patch available | CVE-2026-9643 | |
| Medium6.4 | Authenticated (Contributor+) Stored Cross-Site Scripting ≤4.5.13Update to 4.5.14 | CVE-2024-45456 | |
| Medium4.4 | Authenticated (Administrator+) Stored Cross-Site Scripting ≤4.5.13Update to 4.5.14 | CVE-2024-45455 | |
| Medium5.3 | Information Exposure via Meta Description ≤4.5.12Update to 4.5.13 | CVE-2023-6962 |
- Medium6.4Authenticated (Contributor+) Server-Side Request Forgery via 'new_link' Parameter
≤4.5.18No patch available
- High7.2Unauthenticated Stored Cross-Site Scripting via REQUEST_URI in 404 Logging
≤4.5.18No patch available
- Medium6.4Authenticated (Contributor+) Stored Cross-Site Scripting
≤4.5.13Update to 4.5.14
- Medium4.4Authenticated (Administrator+) Stored Cross-Site Scripting
≤4.5.13Update to 4.5.14
- Medium5.3Information Exposure via Meta Description
≤4.5.12Update to 4.5.13
Same weakness (Missing Authorization)
All Missing Authorization| Severity | Vulnerability | CVE | Published |
|---|---|---|---|
| High7.2 | Unauthenticated Stored Cross-Site Scripting via Comment User-Agent Header | CVE-2026-120688 | |
| Critical9.8 | Unauthenticated Arbitrary File Upload via File Upload via Public Form Submission | CVE-2026-125055 | |
| Critical9.8 | Unauthenticated PHP Object Injection to Remote Code Execution via 'form' Parameter | CVE-2026-119077 | |
| Medium5.3 | Unauthenticated Sensitive Information Exposure in 'search' Parameter | CVE-2026-121518 |
- High7.2Unauthenticated Stored Cross-Site Scripting via Comment User-Agent Header
EZ SQL Reports Shortcode Widget and DB Backup
≤5.25.25Update to 5.26.45
- Critical9.8Unauthenticated Arbitrary File Upload via File Upload via Public Form Submission
Chatterbug Forms – Fast, Flexible WordPress Form Builder
≤1.0.2Update to 1.1
- Critical9.8Unauthenticated PHP Object Injection to Remote Code Execution via 'form' Parameter
ELEX WordPress HelpDesk & Customer Ticketing System
≤3.3.9Update to 3.4.0
- Medium5.3Unauthenticated Sensitive Information Exposure in 'search' Parameter
Customer Reviews for WooCommerce
≤5.127.0Update to 5.128.0
Timeline
CVE published
Severity high, CVSS 7.1
Record last updated
Sources & licenses
Wordfence record- Vulnerability data
- Wordfence Intelligence. Copyright 2012-2026 Defiant Inc. Licensed under the CC BY-SA 4.0.
- CVE® identifiers
- Copyright 1999-2026 The MITRE Corporation. Used under the CVE Program. CVE® is a registered trademark of The MITRE Corporation.
- CVSS / CWE
- National Vulnerability Database (NVD), shown unmodified. This product uses the NVD API but is not endorsed or certified by the NVD.
- VulnCrest content
- Summary, remediation guidance and page layout © VulnCrest. Not sourced from NVD.