dbcve.org
Missing AuthorizationWeakness · CWE-862

CVE-2023-45045

MEDIUM · 5.4 CVSS v3.1 Published 2025-01-02
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
60/100
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
Missing Authorization vulnerability in krozero WP Custom Widget area wp-custom-widget-area allows Exploiting Incorrectly Configured Access Control Security Levels.This issue affects WP Custom Widget area: from n/a through <= 1.2.5.

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

Missing Authorization vulnerability in the krozero WP Custom Widget area plugin allows exploitation of incorrectly configured access control security levels. The plugin fails to properly validate user permissions before allowing access to widget area configuration functions. This could enable unauthorized users to view or modify widget area settings they should not have access to.

MitigationUpdate WP Custom Widget area plugin to the latest version which should contain proper authorization checks; if no update is available, consider disabling the plugin until a patched version is released.

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

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:L

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. Verify the plugin is installed
    Navigate to WordPress admin > Plugins and look for 'krozero WP Custom Widget area' in the list of installed plugins
    Affected if The plugin appears in the installed plugins list and is activated
  2. Check the installed plugin version
    In WordPress admin > Plugins, click on the plugin name to view details, or inspect the plugin header in wp-content/plugins/kcustom-widget-area/kcustom-widget-area.php for the Version: X.X comment
    Affected if The installed version matches or falls within any known vulnerable version range (compare to the version that introduced the fix)
  3. Confirm widget area configuration access without authentication
    Try accessing the plugin's widget configuration page directly via URL (typically /wp-admin/widgets.php or a custom admin page added by the plugin) while logged out or as a low-privilege user (subscriber)
    Affected if The page loads or returns a response without redirecting to a permission-denied error, indicating missing authorization checks
  4. Test unauthorized user access to widget settings
    Log in as a user with minimal privileges (e.g., Subscriber role) and attempt to modify widget area settings that should require administrator permissions
    Affected if A low-privilege user can successfully view or modify widget configurations they should not have access to
  5. Inspect plugin capability checks
    Review the plugin PHP files in wp-content/plugins/ for functions like current_user_can, check_admin_referer, or wp_die before executing widget configuration actions
    Affected if The plugin code lacks proper capability checks before executing widget area configuration functions

A user is affected if the krozero WP Custom Widget area plugin is installed and activated, and low-privilege or unauthenticated users can access or modify widget area settings without proper authorization checks.

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 WP Custom Widget area plugin to the latest version which should contain proper authorization checks; if no update is available, consider disabling the plugin until a patched version is released.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Upgrade to a version of WP Custom Widget area plugin newer than 1.2.5 (contact vendor or check WordPress plugin repository for the latest fixed release)

  1. 1. Log in to the WordPress admin dashboard
  2. 2. Navigate to Plugins > Installed Plugins
  3. 3. Locate the 'WP Custom Widget area' plugin by krozero
  4. 4. Check if an update is available and update to the latest version
  5. 5. Verify the update was successful and the plugin is now running above version 1.2.5
  6. 6. Test that the widget area functionality works correctly after the update

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

Have this fixed Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation1.0 h
  • Implementation1.0 h
  • Testing1.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
4.0 hours of engineering $750
Get help mitigating

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $1,200.

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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-2023-45045 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