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MailoptinWordPress extension

CVE-2022-36340

MEDIUM · 5.3 CVSS v3.1 Published 2022-09-23
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to after 1.2.49.0 or later.
See remediation →
62/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
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
Unauthenticated Optin Campaign Cache Deletion vulnerability in MailOptin plugin <= 1.2.49.0 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

The MailOptin WordPress plugin versions 1.2.49.0 and below contains an IDOR (Insecure Direct Object Reference) vulnerability allowing unauthenticated attackers to delete optin campaign cache files. Since no authentication or authorization check is performed on the cache deletion endpoint, any visitor can trigger cache deletion, potentially causing denial of service by removing legitimate cached campaign data.

MitigationUpdate MailOptin plugin to version 1.2.50.0 or later. If immediate patching is not possible, consider disabling the plugin or implementing web application firewall rules to restrict access to cache-related endpoints.

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
MailoptinWordPress extension
Affected:<= 1.2.49.0

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
None
Integrity
Low
Availability
None

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

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 MailOptin plugin is installed
    Check your WordPress plugins directory (wp-content/plugins/) for the mailoptin folder, or view the installed plugins list in WordPress admin under Plugins > Installed Plugins
    Affected if The MailOptin plugin folder exists in the WordPress installation
  2. Check installed version number
    In WordPress admin, go to Plugins > Installed Plugins and find MailOptin to view the version number. Alternatively, check the main plugin file (usually mailoptin.php) for the 'Version' header in the plugin comments
    Affected if The displayed version is 1.2.49.0 or lower
  3. Confirm plugin is active
    In WordPress admin under Plugins > Installed Plugins, verify that MailOptin shows as 'Active' rather than 'Inactive'
    Affected if The plugin is currently activated and running
  4. Identify cache functionality exposure
    Inspect the plugin files in wp-content/plugins/mailoptin/ for files related to cache handling or deletion. Look for PHP files containing functions that handle cache file removal without authentication checks
    Affected if The plugin code contains unauthenticated cache deletion logic (files with terms like 'cache', 'delete', or 'clear' in function names)
  5. Check for web server access to cache-related endpoints
    Review web server logs (Apache/Nginx) for requests to any cache deletion endpoints under the mailoptin plugin path. Test by attempting a direct request to the suspected cache deletion URL pattern (commonly /wp-admin/admin-ajax.php with cache-related action parameters)
    Affected if External unauthenticated requests can reach cache deletion functionality

You are affected if MailOptin plugin version 1.2.49.0 or lower is installed and active, and the vulnerable unauthenticated cache deletion endpoint is exposed on your site.

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 1.2.49.0
Interim mitigation

Update MailOptin plugin to version 1.2.50.0 or later. If immediate patching is not possible, consider disabling the plugin or implementing web application firewall rules to restrict access to cache-related endpoints.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Latest version available in WordPress plugin repository (version > 1.2.49.0)

  1. 1. Log in to your WordPress admin dashboard
  2. 2. Navigate to Plugins > Installed Plugins
  3. 3. Locate MailOptin in the plugin list
  4. 4. Check if an update is available for MailOptin
  5. 5. If an update is available, click 'Update Now' to install the latest version
  6. 6. Verify the updated version number is greater than 1.2.49.0
  7. 7. Test that the optin campaign functionality works correctly after the update

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

Fix this in Mailoptin Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation1.0 h
  • Implementation1.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
5.0 hours of engineering $860
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $1,376.

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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-2022-36340 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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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
  • 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