CVE-2023-41656: 
WordPress vulnerability analysis and mitigation

CVE-2023-41656 is a Missing Authorization (Broken Access Control) vulnerability in the Better Elementor Addons WordPress plugin developed by wpdive. It affects all versions up to and including 1.3.7, with version 1.3.9 being the first patched release. The vulnerability was reported by researcher Rio Darmawan on February 4, 2023, published by Patchstack on September 1, 2023, and formally registered in the NVD on December 29, 2025. It carries a CVSS v3.1 base score of 5.4 (Medium), assigned by Patchstack (Patchstack).

The root cause is classified as CWE-862 (Missing Authorization), meaning the plugin fails to properly verify whether a requesting user has the necessary permissions before executing certain privileged actions. This allows a low-privileged authenticated user (at the Subscriber level or above) to exploit incorrectly configured access control security levels within the plugin. The attack vector is network-based, requires low privileges, no user interaction, and low attack complexity, making it straightforward to exploit for any authenticated WordPress user (Patchstack).

Successful exploitation allows a low-privileged authenticated attacker to perform actions beyond their intended authorization level, resulting in limited integrity and availability impacts (CVSS: I:L, A:L) with no direct confidentiality impact. An attacker with at minimum Subscriber-level access to a WordPress site running the vulnerable plugin could manipulate plugin functionality or disrupt availability of affected features. While the individual impact is limited, Patchstack notes that vulnerabilities of this class are frequently used in mass-exploit campaigns targeting thousands of WordPress sites simultaneously (Patchstack).

No public proof-of-concept exploit code or evidence of active in-the-wild exploitation has been reported for this specific CVE. The EPSS score is approximately 0.069%, indicating a low probability of exploitation in the near term. The vulnerability is not listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog. Patchstack classifies this as low priority and notes it is unlikely to be exploited individually, though the vulnerability class is associated with mass WordPress plugin exploit campaigns (Patchstack).

The primary remediation is to update the Better Elementor Addons plugin to version 1.3.9 or later, which contains the fix for this vulnerability. Site administrators who cannot immediately update should contact their hosting provider or web developer for assistance. Patchstack users benefit from an automatically deployed virtual patch (mitigation rule) that blocks exploitation attempts until the plugin is updated (Patchstack).

Wordfence included this vulnerability in their weekly WordPress vulnerability report for the period of August 28–September 3, 2023, providing broader community visibility. No significant vendor statements, notable researcher commentary beyond the original discovery by Rio Darmawan, or major media coverage has been identified for this vulnerability (Wordfence).