dbcve.org
Missing AuthorizationWeakness · CWE-862

CVE-2020-36837

CRITICAL · 9.9 CVSS v3.1 Published 2024-10-16
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable Zero-click

Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.

NVD · unedited
The ThemeGrill Demo Importer plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to authentication bypass due to a missing capability check on the reset_wizard_actions function in versions 1.3.4 through 1.6.1. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers to reset the WordPress database. After which, if there is a user named 'admin', the attacker will become automatically logged in as an administrator.

Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.

dbcve analysis · high confidence

The ThemeGrill Demo Importer plugin for WordPress versions 1.3.4-1.6.1 lacks a capability check on the reset_wizard_actions function, allowing any authenticated user (including low-privilege subscribers) to trigger a full WordPress database reset. This reset recreates the admin user and automatically logs in the attacker as an administrator, providing full site compromise.

MitigationUpdate ThemeGrill Demo Importer to version 1.6.2 or later immediately. If immediate update is not possible, deactivate the plugin until a patch can be applied.

Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.

CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.

From the vector
Attack vector
Network
Complexity
Low
Privileges
Low
User interaction
None
Scope
Changed
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H

Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.

dbcve checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Verify ThemeGrill Demo Importer is installed
    Navigate to WordPress admin dashboard > Plugins and look for 'ThemeGrill Demo Importer' in the installed plugins list, or inspect the plugin directory /wp-content/plugins/themegrill-demo-importer/
    Affected if The plugin is present in the WordPress installation
  2. Check the installed plugin version
    In Plugins list, click on the plugin to view details and locate the version number, or read the main plugin file header in /wp-content/plugins/themegrill-demo-importer/themegrill-demo-importer.php
    Affected if The version falls within 1.3.4 through 1.6.1 inclusive
  3. Confirm the plugin is active
    In WordPress admin > Plugins, check if ThemeGrill Demo Importer shows as 'Active'
    Affected if The plugin is activated and running
  4. Identify if any authenticated user accounts exist
    Review WordPress user list at Users > All Users - the vulnerability allows any subscriber-level or higher user to trigger the reset
    Affected if There are any user accounts with login access (even low-privilege subscribers)

The environment is affected if ThemeGrill Demo Importer is installed, active, and running version 1.3.4 through 1.6.1 with any authenticated user accounts present.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.

dbcve · scoped
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Update ThemeGrill Demo Importer to version 1.6.2 or later immediately. If immediate update is not possible, deactivate the plugin until a patch can be applied.

Recommended fix High confidence

ThemeGrill Demo Importer version 1.6.2 or later

  1. 1. Backup the WordPress database and files before making any changes
  2. 2. Update the ThemeGrill Demo Importer plugin to version 1.6.2 or later through the WordPress admin dashboard under Plugins > Installed Plugins
  3. 3. Alternatively, upload the fixed plugin version manually via Plugins > Add New > Upload Plugin
  4. 4. Verify the update was successful by checking the plugin version in the Plugins list
  5. 5. Ensure the 'admin' user account exists (or create it) to prevent the automatic admin login exploitation vector, as this is a secondary defense
Caveat None expected - this is a security patch upgrade with no functional changes documented

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Have this fixed Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation1.0 h
  • Implementation1.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
5.0 hours of engineering $860
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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2020-36837 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

What belongs here
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  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
  • No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data