CVE-2020-36721Public exploitNetwork attack vector

Unauthenticated plugin state changes via unchecked AJAX handlers

Published Jun 7, 2023 · Updated Apr 8, 2026

Access flaws in Brilliance 1.2.7 and earlier, Activello 1.4.0 and earlier, and Newspaper X 1.3.1 and earlier let remote attackers toggle plugins. The activello_activate_plugin and activello_deactivate_plugin AJAX handlers in inc/welcome-screen/class-activello-welcome.php omit capability checks and nonce validation. No authentication or user interaction is required, and exploitation can activate or deactivate any installed plugin, changing site behavior or interrupting plugin-provided functions.

CVSS severity6.5
Medium
EPSS probability0.97%
Next 30 days · Sep 16, 2026
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Based on sourced intelligence
Hinoki checkNot available
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Summary

What happened

Access flaws in Brilliance 1.2.7 and earlier, Activello 1.4.0 and earlier, and Newspaper X 1.3.1 and earlier let remote attackers toggle plugins. The activello_activate_plugin and activello_deactivate_plugin AJAX handlers in inc/welcome-screen/class-activello-welcome.php omit capability checks and nonce validation. No authentication or user interaction is required, and exploitation can activate or deactivate any installed plugin, changing site behavior or interrupting plugin-provided functions.

The record

CVE
CVE-2020-36721
Published
Jun 7, 2023
Updated
Apr 8, 2026
Vendor
Silkalns
Product
Activello
Classifications
CWE-862, CWE-284, T1562.001
Attack vector
network
Privileges
unauthenticated

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. Jun 7, 2023CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
  2. Apr 8, 2026Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.

Exploitability

Present is not the same as exploitable

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Is a vulnerable build present?

Compare these published version ranges with your installed build and any vendor patches.

  1. Affected versionversion=0 <=1.4.0

What conditions does exploitation require?

Attack vectornetwork
Required privilegesunauthenticated

What is affected?

Silkalns · Activelloversion=0 <=1.4.0
Silkalns · Newspaper Xversion=0 <=1.3.1
WPChill · Brillianceversion=0 <=1.2.7

Published CVSS scores

6.5WordfenceCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:L

CVSS describes severity. EPSS estimates exploitation probability.

Attacks

What attackers are doing with it

Daily unique IPs observed by Shadowserver honeypots for known exploited vulnerabilities (KEVs). Missing observations do not establish an absence of attacks.

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No observations available

Sep 10, 2026Sep 16, 2026
Latest reporting daySep 16, 2026
Latest daily unique IPsUnavailable
Prior 30-day averageUnavailable
SourceShadowserver honeypots (KEV)
Vectornetwork
Privilegesunauthenticated
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Public exploitPublished

Weakness, pattern, technique

CWE-862Missing Authorization
CWE-284Improper Access Control
T1562.001Impair Defenses Disable or Modify Tools

Public exploit references

Labels summarize the accepted research assessment. They do not indicate a test against your environment.

Technologies

Your stack

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Your stack

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