CVE-2023-44147
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 · uneditedMissing Authorization vulnerability in apasionados Comment Blacklist Updater comment-blacklist-updater allows Exploiting Incorrectly Configured Access Control Security Levels.This issue affects Comment Blacklist Updater: from n/a through <= 1.1.0.
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 confidenceA missing authorization vulnerability in the Comment Blacklist Updater WordPress plugin (versions <=1.1.0) allows attackers to exploit incorrectly configured access control security levels, potentially enabling unauthorized modification of the comment blacklist without proper authentication or permission checks.
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
- 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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Identify if Comment Blacklist Updater plugin is installedCheck the WordPress plugins directory (wp-content/plugins/) for a folder named 'comment-blacklist-updater' or similar. In the WordPress admin, go to Plugins > Installed Plugins and look for the plugin.Affected if The plugin is found in the plugins directory or listed in the WordPress admin plugins list.
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Determine the installed plugin versionIf the plugin is found, open its main PHP file (usually comment-blacklist-updater.php) and locate the version comment or header (e.g., 'Version: 1.1.0' or similar). Alternatively, check the plugin details displayed in the WordPress admin Plugins page.Affected if The version number is 1.1.0 or lower.
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Verify if the plugin is activeIn the WordPress admin, go to Plugins > Installed Plugins and check whether Comment Blacklist Updater is activated. Alternatively, query the wp_options table for the option 'active_plugins' to see if the plugin is listed.Affected if The plugin appears in the list of active plugins.
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Check for unauthenticated access to blacklist modificationAttempt to access any admin pages or AJAX endpoints associated with the plugin (often found by examining the plugin's PHP files for admin_menu, wp_ajax hooks, or REST API routes). Look for functions that modify the comment blacklist settings.Affected if The plugin exposes functionality to modify the comment blacklist without requiring authentication or capability checks (e.g., no check for 'manage_options' or similar WordPress capabilities).
The environment is affected if the Comment Blacklist Updater plugin is installed, active, and running version 1.1.0 or lower, with the blacklist modification feature accessible without proper authorization.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
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.
From vendor dataUpdate the plugin to the latest version that includes proper authorization checks, or disable the plugin until a patch is available. Implement role-based access control (RBAC) and capability checks before allowing any blacklist modifications.
- Consultation1.0 h
- Implementation2.0 h
- Testing2.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $1,664.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2023-44147 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2023-44147 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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- 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
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