CVE-2023-5201
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 · uneditedThe OpenHook plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Remote Code Execution in versions up to, and including, 4.3.0 via the 'php' shortcode. This allows authenticated attackers with subscriber-level permissions or above, to execute code on the server. This requires the [php] shortcode setting to be enabled on the vulnerable site.
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 · high confidenceThe OpenHook WordPress plugin allows authenticated users with subscriber-level permissions to execute arbitrary PHP code through the [php] shortcode when that feature is enabled, leading to full remote code execution on the server.
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<= 4.3.0CVSS 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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Verify OpenHook plugin is installedIn WordPress admin, go to Plugins > Installed Plugins and look for 'OpenHook' in the listAffected if OpenHook plugin is present on the WordPress site
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Check installed OpenHook versionClick on the plugin name in Plugins list to view version details, or check the plugin header in /wp-content/plugins/openhook/readme.txtAffected if Version is 4.3.0 or lower
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Confirm [php] shortcode feature is enabledNavigate to Settings > OpenHook in WordPress admin, or inspect the wp_options table for option_name containing 'openhook' and 'php' settingsAffected if The [php] shortcode feature is enabled in OpenHook settings
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Verify subscriber-level users have accessCheck WordPress user roles under Users > Roles, or review if any subscriber-level accounts exist on the siteAffected if Subscriber-level permissions are enabled and subscriber accounts exist on the site
User is affected if OpenHook plugin version 4.3.0 or lower is installed AND the [php] shortcode feature is enabled AND subscriber-level users have site access.
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.
dbcve · scopedUpdate OpenHook to the latest version and ensure the [php] shortcode setting is disabled unless explicitly required for site functionality, and review user role permissions.
Version 4.3.1 or later (check WordPress plugin repository for latest available version)
- 1. Navigate to the WordPress admin dashboard and go to Settings > OpenHook (or the plugin's settings page)
- 2. Locate the option to enable or disable the [php] shortcode
- 3. If available, disable the [php] shortcode setting as an immediate mitigation
- 4. Check for any available plugin updates in Plugins > Installed Plugins
- 5. If version 4.3.1 or higher is available in the WordPress plugin repository, update to that version
- 6. Verify the update was successful and test that the [php] shortcode functionality is properly restricted
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation1.0 h
- Implementation1.0 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 $1,376.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2023-5201 — 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-2023-5201 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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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.
- 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