CVE-2023-2437 in UserPro Plugin
Summary
by MITRE • 11/22/2023
The UserPro plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to authentication bypass in versions up to, and including, 5.1.1. This is due to insufficient verification on the user being supplied during a Facebook login through the plugin. This makes it possible for unauthenticated attackers to log in as any existing user on the site, such as an administrator, if they have access to the email. An attacker can leverage CVE-2023-2448 and CVE-2023-2446 to get the user's email address to successfully exploit this vulnerability.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/11/2026
The CVE-2023-2437 vulnerability represents a critical authentication bypass flaw within the UserPro plugin for WordPress systems, affecting versions up to and including 5.1.1. This vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation and verification mechanisms during the Facebook login process, creating a significant security weakness that undermines the integrity of user authentication. The flaw specifically targets the plugin's handling of user identification during social login operations, where the system fails to properly validate the authenticity of user credentials provided through the Facebook authentication flow.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability allows attackers to exploit the insufficient verification processes by crafting malicious requests that manipulate the user identification parameters. When users attempt to log in via Facebook through the compromised plugin, the system accepts manipulated user data without proper verification, enabling unauthorized access to any existing account on the WordPress site. This flaw particularly affects administrative accounts, as attackers can leverage the vulnerability to assume control of high-privilege user roles, potentially leading to complete system compromise and data exfiltration.
The operational impact of CVE-2023-2437 extends beyond simple unauthorized access, as it creates a persistent security risk that can be exploited repeatedly by attackers with minimal technical expertise. The vulnerability's exploitation becomes significantly easier when combined with other related vulnerabilities such as CVE-2023-2448 and CVE-2023-2446, which provide attackers with the necessary email addresses required to successfully target specific user accounts. This chained exploitation approach demonstrates how seemingly isolated vulnerabilities can combine to create more severe security incidents, aligning with the ATT&CK framework's concept of privilege escalation through multiple attack vectors.
Security practitioners should recognize this vulnerability as a classic example of inadequate authentication controls, which maps directly to CWE-287 - Improper Authentication, and represents a significant risk to WordPress installations using the affected UserPro plugin. The vulnerability's impact is particularly concerning in environments where Facebook login integration is enabled, as it transforms a legitimate authentication mechanism into a potential attack vector. Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including plugin updates, temporary disabling of Facebook login functionality, and enhanced monitoring of authentication attempts to detect potential exploitation attempts.
The remediation strategy for CVE-2023-2437 requires comprehensive patch management across all affected WordPress installations, with particular attention to verifying that the updated plugin versions properly address the authentication bypass vulnerability. System administrators must also consider implementing additional security controls such as multi-factor authentication, rate limiting on authentication attempts, and network-level restrictions on login endpoints. The vulnerability serves as a reminder of the critical importance of proper input validation and authentication verification in web applications, particularly when integrating third-party authentication services that may introduce additional attack surfaces to the system.