dbcve.org
Smart FormsWordPress extension · Rednao

CVE-2023-49856

HIGH · 8.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2024-12-09
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 2.6.85 or later.
See remediation →
94/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
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 EDGARROJAS Smart Forms smart-forms allows Exploiting Incorrectly Configured Access Control Security Levels.This issue affects Smart Forms: from n/a through <= 2.6.84.

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

This is a Missing Authorization vulnerability in EDGARROJAS Smart Forms (smart-forms) version 2.6.84 and prior. The vulnerability stems from incorrectly configured access control security levels, allowing authenticated or unauthenticated attackers to bypass authorization checks and access functionality or data they should not have permission to reach.

MitigationReview and remediate all access control configurations in Smart Forms to ensure proper authorization checks are enforced at every security level; implement role-based access control (RBAC) and validate user permissions before executing sensitive operations.

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
Smart FormsWordPress extension
Affected:< 2.6.85

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
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

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

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Identify installed Smart Forms version
    Check the WordPress plugins administration panel, look for the Rednao Smart Forms plugin entry and note the version number displayed, or query the plugin version via wp-cli: wp plugin list --name='smart-forms'
    Affected if The displayed version is 2.6.84 or lower, or the version number returned is less than 2.6.85
  2. Verify access control security level configuration
    Navigate to Smart Forms settings in the WordPress admin dashboard; locate the security or permissions configuration section where access levels are defined; inspect the current security level setting value
    Affected if The security level is set to a value that does not enforce proper authorization checks, or is set to allow public/unauthenticated access to sensitive features
  3. Test for unauthorized access to restricted functionality
    Attempt to access Smart Forms admin endpoints or sensitive form data without authenticating as a privileged user; use a browser or HTTP tool to request form submission data, form builder settings, or user submission exports without providing valid admin credentials
    Affected if Sensitive form data, submission exports, or administrative functions are accessible without proper authentication or authorization validation
  4. Inspect role-based access control settings
    In Smart Forms settings, review the RBAC or user role permissions configuration; check which user roles are permitted to access form submissions, edit forms, or modify settings
    Affected if The configuration permits lower-privileged users or unauthenticated users to access functionality restricted to administrators or higher roles

You are affected if your Smart Forms version is 2.6.84 or prior AND the access control security levels are misconfigured to allow unauthorized access to sensitive functionality or data.

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 2.6.85 or later
Fixed in 2.6.85
Interim mitigation

Review and remediate all access control configurations in Smart Forms to ensure proper authorization checks are enforced at every security level; implement role-based access control (RBAC) and validate user permissions before executing sensitive operations.

Recommended fix High confidence

Smart Forms version 2.6.85

  1. Backup your WordPress site database and files before updating
  2. Navigate to WordPress Admin Dashboard > Plugins > Installed Plugins
  3. Find 'Smart Forms' in the plugin list
  4. Click 'Update now' if an update is available, or manually upload version 2.6.85
  5. Verify the plugin updated successfully to version 2.6.85
  6. Test form submissions and access controls to confirm the authorization fix is working
  7. Monitor site functionality to ensure no regressions

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

Fix this in Smart Forms 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
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $4,224.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2023-49856 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.

Get it on GitHub Scan in the browser

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-2023-49856 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.

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