dbcve.org
DirectoristWordPress extension · Wpwax

CVE-2023-1889

MEDIUM · 6.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2023-06-09
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to after 7.5.4 or later.
See remediation →
71/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
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 Directorist plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to an Insecure Direct Object Reference in versions up to, and including, 7.5.4. This is due to improper validation and authorization checks within the listing_task function. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers, with subscriber-level permissions and above, to delete arbitrary posts. Please note CVE-2023-35052 appears to be a duplicate of this issue.

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 Directorist WordPress plugin contains an Insecure Direct Object Reference (IDOR) vulnerability in the listing_task function. Due to missing authorization checks, any authenticated user with subscriber-level permissions can delete arbitrary posts on the site by manipulating the listing ID parameter. This allows low-privilege users to bypass the intended access controls and modify or remove content they should not have permission to access.

MitigationUpdate to the latest version of Directorist when available. The vendor should implement proper authorization and capability checks in the listing_task function to verify the requesting user has permission to delete the specific listing.

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
DirectoristWordPress extension
Affected:<= 7.5.4

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
Unchanged
Confidentiality
None
Integrity
High
Availability
None

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/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. Check if Directorist plugin is installed
    In WordPress admin, go to Plugins > Installed Plugins and look for 'Directorist' by Wpwax, or check the /wp-content/plugins/ directory for directorist folder. Note the installed version number displayed.
    Affected if Directorist plugin is present and version is 7.5.4 or lower
  2. Verify the vulnerable version range
    Compare your installed version number against the affected range. Navigate to Plugins page in WordPress admin to see the version, or check the main plugin file header for the Version field.
    Affected if Installed version is 7.5.4 or any version lower than 7.5.4
  3. Confirm the listing_task function exists
    Access your site via FTP or file manager, navigate to /wp-content/plugins/directorist/, and search for the function 'listing_task' in the PHP files, typically in includes/functions or similar directories.
    Affected if The listing_task function exists in the plugin code and handles delete operations without visible capability checks
  4. Inspect user role configuration
    In WordPress admin, go to Users > Roles or use a role management addon to verify if subscriber-level or low-privilege user accounts exist on the site.
    Affected if Any user role with subscriber-level permissions or lower exists on the site, as these can exploit the vulnerability

Your site is affected if the Directorist plugin version is 7.5.4 or lower and low-privilege authenticated users exist on the 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 7.5.4
Interim mitigation

Update to the latest version of Directorist when available. The vendor should implement proper authorization and capability checks in the listing_task function to verify the requesting user has permission to delete the specific listing.

Recommended fix High confidence

Directorist 7.5.5 or later

  1. Log in to WordPress admin dashboard
  2. Navigate to Plugins > Installed Plugins
  3. Find Directorist plugin in the list
  4. Check if current version is 7.5.4 or earlier
  5. If vulnerable, click 'Update Now' to install version 7.5.5 or later
  6. Verify the update was successful and the site still functions correctly

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

Fix this in Directorist Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation3.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 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.

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-2023-1889 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