dbcve.org
Missing AuthorizationWeakness · CWE-862

CVE-2023-39920

HIGH · 7.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2024-12-13
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
84/100
Remediation priority · High
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
Missing Authorization vulnerability in Themeisle Redirection for Contact Form 7 wpcf7-redirect allows Exploiting Incorrectly Configured Access Control Security Levels.This issue affects Redirection for Contact Form 7: from n/a through <= 2.9.2.

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

Missing Authorization vulnerability in the WordPress plugin 'Redirection for Contact Form 7' (wpcf7-redirect) versions up to 2.9.2. The plugin fails to properly enforce access control checks, allowing attackers to exploit incorrectly configured security levels and potentially perform actions that should require higher privileges or authentication.

MitigationUpdate the Redirection for Contact Form 7 plugin to the latest version which includes proper authorization checks. If no update is available, review all AJAX handlers and admin actions to add capability checks using current_user_can() and implement nonce verification.

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

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/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. Confirm plugin installation and version
    Navigate to WordPress admin > Plugins and check if 'Redirection for Contact Form 7' (wpcf7-redirect) is installed. Note the installed version number displayed in the plugin list.
    Affected if The plugin is installed and the version listed is 2.9.2 or lower.
  2. Locate plugin files
    Access your WordPress file system via FTP or hosting control panel file manager. Navigate to wp-content/plugins/ and locate the wpcf7-redirect folder.
    Affected if The plugin folder exists in the WordPress installation.
  3. Inspect AJAX handlers for missing capability checks
    Within the plugin folder, examine PHP files containing AJAX handlers (look for add_action calls with 'wp_ajax_' or 'wp_ajax_nopriv_'). Open these files and search for 'current_user_can' to verify if capability checks exist.
    Affected if AJAX handlers exist that lack current_user_can() calls, allowing actions without proper authorization verification.
  4. Inspect admin action handlers for authorization
    Review PHP files for admin action hooks (add_action calls with admin_init or similar). Check if these handlers verify user capabilities and validate nonces before executing sensitive operations.
    Affected if Admin action handlers execute functionality without checking user permissions or validating security nonces.
  5. Check for unauthenticated endpoint access
    Search plugin PHP files for functions registering REST API routes or public-facing AJAX endpoints. Determine if these endpoints handle sensitive data or configuration changes without requiring authentication.
    Affected if Endpoints that modify plugin settings or sensitive data are accessible to unauthenticated (logged-out) users.

You are affected if the Redirection for Contact Form 7 plugin is installed with version 2.9.2 or lower and any AJAX handlers, admin actions, or endpoints lack proper capability checks or nonce verification.

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 the Redirection for Contact Form 7 plugin to the latest version which includes proper authorization checks. If no update is available, review all AJAX handlers and admin actions to add capability checks using current_user_can() and implement nonce verification.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Latest version after 2.9.2 (check WordPress plugin repository for current stable release)

  1. 1. Backup your WordPress site before making any changes
  2. 2. Navigate to Plugins > Installed Plugins in the WordPress admin dashboard
  3. 3. Locate 'Redirection for Contact Form 7' by Themeisle
  4. 4. Check the current installed version matches <= 2.9.2
  5. 5. If an update is available, click 'Update Now' to install the latest version
  6. 6. If no update is available in the WordPress repository, manually download the latest version from the WordPress plugin directory or Themeisle's official website
  7. 7. Deactivate and delete the current plugin, then upload and install the fresh latest version
  8. 8. After update, verify the plugin is working correctly with your Contact Form 7 forms
Caveat Review changelog for any breaking changes between your version and the latest release before upgrading

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

Have this fixed Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation6.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
15.0 hours of engineering $2,640
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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-2023-39920 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
  • 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