dbcve.org
Post SmtpWordPress extension · Wpexperts

CVE-2023-52233

CRITICAL · 9.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2024-06-11
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 2.8.7 or later.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable No privileges 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 Post SMTP Post SMTP Mailer/Email Log.This issue affects Post SMTP Mailer/Email Log: from n/a through 2.8.6.

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 Post SMTP Mailer/Email Log WordPress plugin up to version 2.8.6 allows attackers to bypass access controls and potentially access sensitive email configuration data or perform unauthorized email-related actions without proper authentication.

MitigationUpdate Post SMTP Mailer/Email Log to the latest version (beyond 2.8.6) which contains the authorization fix. If immediate update is not possible, disable the plugin or implement web application firewall rules to restrict access to vulnerable endpoints.

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
Post SmtpWordPress extension
Affected:< 2.8.7

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
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/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. Verify Post SMTP plugin is installed
    Log into WordPress admin dashboard and navigate to Plugins > Installed Plugins. Look for 'Post SMTP Mailer/Email Log' in the list of active plugins.
    Affected if The plugin appears in the list of installed plugins.
  2. Check installed plugin version
    In the WordPress admin under Plugins > Installed Plugins, find the Post SMTP plugin and locate the version number displayed below the plugin name. Alternatively, inspect the main plugin file (post-smtp.php) in wp-content/plugins/post-smtp/ and read the version header in the plugin comments.
    Affected if The version number shown is 2.8.6 or lower.
  3. Confirm plugin status
    In the WordPress admin under Plugins > Installed Plugins, verify whether Post SMTP is currently activated or just installed without activation.
    Affected if The plugin is activated on the site.
  4. Identify vulnerable endpoint accessibility
    This vulnerability allows unauthenticated access to sensitive email configuration data. Check if the plugin exposes AJAX actions or REST API endpoints by reviewing the plugin source code in wp-content/plugins/post-smtp/ for wp_ajax_ and wp_ajax_nopriv_ hooks, or by attempting to access known plugin endpoints without providing authentication credentials.
    Affected if The plugin responds to requests from unauthenticated users or returns sensitive configuration data without requiring login.

You are affected if the Post SMTP Mailer/Email Log plugin is installed and activated with version 2.8.6 or lower, as this version lacks proper authorization controls on sensitive endpoints.

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 2.8.7 or later
Fixed in 2.8.7
Interim mitigation

Update Post SMTP Mailer/Email Log to the latest version (beyond 2.8.6) which contains the authorization fix. If immediate update is not possible, disable the plugin or implement web application firewall rules to restrict access to vulnerable endpoints.

Recommended fix High confidence

2.8.7

  1. Back up your WordPress site before making any changes
  2. Log in to your WordPress admin dashboard
  3. Navigate to Plugins > Installed Plugins
  4. Locate 'Post SMTP Mailer/Email Log' in the plugin list
  5. If an update to version 2.8.7 is available, click 'Update Now' to install it
  6. Alternatively, download version 2.8.7 from the WordPress plugin repository and manually upload it via Plugins > Add New > Upload Plugin
  7. After updating, verify the installed version is 2.8.7

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

Fix this in Post Smtp Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation3.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
8.0 hours of engineering $1,420
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $2,272.

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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-2023-52233 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