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NoptinWordPress extension

CVE-2022-46803

CRITICAL · 9.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2023-11-07
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to after 1.9.5 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
Improper Neutralization of Formula Elements in a CSV File vulnerability in Noptin Newsletter Simple Newsletter Plugin – Noptin.This issue affects Simple Newsletter Plugin – Noptin: from n/a through 1.9.5.

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

CSV injection vulnerability in Noptin's newsletter plugin export functionality allows attackers to inject spreadsheet formulas (using =, +, -, @ characters) into data fields that execute when the CSV is opened in spreadsheet applications, potentially leading to code execution or data exfiltration.

MitigationImplement output encoding for CSV exports by escaping formula characters (prefix with single quote or removing =, +, -, @, tab, CR characters) in user-supplied data before writing to CSV files.

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
NoptinWordPress extension
Affected:<= 1.9.5

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. Confirm Noptin plugin is installed
    Check your WordPress plugins directory or WordPress admin panel for the Noptin plugin and note the installed version number
    Affected if The installed version is Noptin <= 1.9.5 and the plugin is active
  2. Identify export functionality
    Navigate to the Noptin plugin settings in WordPress admin and locate any newsletter subscriber export or CSV export feature
    Affected if The plugin provides a CSV export feature for subscriber data
  3. Test for CSV injection vulnerability
    Create or modify a test subscriber with a name or email containing formula characters (=, +, -, @) and then export the subscriber list to CSV. Open the exported CSV in a spreadsheet application to observe if the formula executes or is rendered as text
    Affected if The exported CSV contains unescaped formula characters (=, +, -, @) that spreadsheet applications interpret as formulas rather than plain text
  4. Inspect export code for output encoding
    If you have file access, examine the PHP file handling CSV export in the Noptin plugin (typically in includes/class-*.php or similar export-related files) to verify whether formula characters are escaped or filtered before CSV output
    Affected if The export code does not prefix formula characters with a single quote or remove =, +, -, @ characters from user-supplied data

You are affected if you have Noptin plugin version 1.9.5 or lower installed with an active CSV export feature that outputs unescaped formula characters from user-supplied fields.

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 1.9.5
Interim mitigation

Implement output encoding for CSV exports by escaping formula characters (prefix with single quote or removing =, +, -, @, tab, CR characters) in user-supplied data before writing to CSV files.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Latest available version of Noptin plugin (version > 1.9.5)

  1. 1. Log in to the WordPress admin dashboard
  2. 2. Navigate to Plugins > Installed Plugins
  3. 3. Locate the Noptin (Simple Newsletter Plugin – Noptin) plugin
  4. 4. If an update is available, click 'Update Now' to upgrade to the latest version
  5. 5. Alternatively, download the latest version from the WordPress plugin repository and upload it manually
  6. 6. Verify the plugin is running on a version higher than 1.9.5 after updating

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

Fix this in Noptin Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
10.0 hours of engineering $1,750
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $2,800.

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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-2022-46803 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