dbcve.org
Countdown BuilderWordPress extension · Edmonsoft

CVE-2022-29423

CRITICAL · 9.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2022-05-06
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to after 2.3.2 or later.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable No privileges 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
Pro Features Lock Bypass vulnerability in Countdown & Clock plugin <= 2.3.2 at WordPress.

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 · moderate confidence

A security bypass vulnerability in the Countdown & Clock WordPress plugin versions 2.3.2 and below allows unauthenticated attackers to bypass pro feature locks and access paid functionality without proper authorization. The CVSS 9.8 indicates network-exploitable with no authentication required and complete impact on confidentiality, integrity, and availability.

MitigationUpdate the Countdown & Clock plugin to a patched version immediately. Review user access controls and audit any unauthorized changes to pro feature configurations.

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

Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.

NVD · CPE data
Countdown BuilderWordPress extension
Affected:<= 2.3.2

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
None
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/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. Identify the installed plugin version
    In WordPress admin, go to Plugins > Installed Plugins > Countdown & Clock (or Countdown Builder) and read the version number displayed. Alternatively, check the plugin's main PHP file for the 'Version' header in the plugin comment block.
    Affected if The installed version is 2.3.2 or lower.
  2. Verify the plugin is active
    Check the WordPress Plugins page to confirm the Countdown & Clock / Countdown Builder plugin is currently activated on the site.
    Affected if The plugin is active and the version is 2.3.2 or lower.
  3. Inspect access controls for pro features
    Examine the plugin files (typically in wp-content/plugins/countdown-clock/ or similar) for functions that handle pro feature locking. Look for capability checks or nonces that protect premium functionality. A vulnerable installation will have missing or weak authorization checks.
    Affected if Pro feature functions lack proper authorization checks (like current_user_can() or nonce verification) or are accessible to unauthenticated users.
  4. Test for unauthenticated pro feature access
    Send a request to the plugin's pro feature endpoints (common paths include /wp-json/ or direct PHP handlers) without providing authentication credentials. Check if paid functionality responds without requiring login.
    Affected if The site returns pro feature content or functionality without requiring authentication.

A site is affected if the Countdown & Clock plugin version is 2.3.2 or lower and pro features are accessible without authentication.

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
Upgrade available Upgrade to a release after 2.3.2
Interim mitigation

Update the Countdown & Clock plugin to a patched version immediately. Review user access controls and audit any unauthorized changes to pro feature configurations.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Countdown & Clock version 2.3.3 or latest available

  1. Log in to WordPress admin dashboard
  2. Navigate to Plugins > Installed Plugins
  3. Find 'Countdown & Clock' (also called 'Countdown Builder')
  4. Check if current version is 2.3.2 or lower
  5. If vulnerable, click 'Update now' or manually download the latest version from wordpress.org and upload via Plugins > Add New > Upload Plugin
  6. After update, verify the plugin version is 2.3.3 or higher

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

Fix this in Countdown Builder Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
11.0 hours of engineering $1,930
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $3,088.

Scan for this in your stack

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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-2022-29423 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.

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
  • Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
  • 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