CVE-2023-44227
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 Mitchell Bennis Simple File List.This issue affects Simple File List: from n/a through 6.1.9.
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 confidenceThe Simple File List WordPress plugin versions through 6.1.9 contains a missing authorization vulnerability, allowing unauthenticated users to access certain plugin functions that should require proper authentication and permission checks. The high CVSS score indicates network-exploitable access with significant impact on confidentiality/integrity.
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
- None
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Check Simple File List plugin version in WordPress adminNavigate to WP Admin > Plugins > Installed Plugins. Locate 'Simple File List' and verify the version number displayed. Compare against the affected range (versions through 6.1.9).Affected if The installed version is 6.1.9 or earlier.
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Verify plugin is activeIn WordPress admin under Plugins, confirm Simple File List shows as 'Active'. Vulnerable code only executes when the plugin is enabled.Affected if Simple File List plugin is activated on the WordPress site.
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Check plugin version via file inspectionAccess the WordPress file system (via FTP, SSH, or hosting file manager). Navigate to /wp-content/plugins/simple-file-list/. Open the main plugin file (usually simple-file-list.php) and locate the 'Version:' header comment.Affected if The version string in the plugin header reads 6.1.9 or lower.
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Inspect plugin files for authorization checksExamine the main plugin PHP file for missing capability checks. Look for functions that handle file operations, settings, or admin actions without current_user_can() or similar authorization checks.Affected if Functions accessible via AJAX or direct URL calls lack proper authorization verification (current_user_can checks).
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Review server access logs for plugin-related requestsCheck web server access logs (Apache/Nginx) for unauthenticated requests to wp-admin/admin-ajax.php?action=eeSFL_* or similar plugin-specific AJAX endpoints.Affected if HTTP requests to plugin endpoints succeed without valid authentication cookies/sessions.
The environment is affected if Simple File List plugin version 6.1.9 or earlier is installed and active, with unauthenticated access to plugin functions possible.
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 to the latest version of Simple File List when available, or implement proper authorization checks on all plugin functions. If immediate update is not possible, restrict access to the plugin's admin interface via server-level access controls.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing3.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $3,088.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2023-44227 — 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-2023-44227 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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