CVE-2020-36838Public exploitNetwork attack vector

Chat diversion via unchecked options update

Published Oct 16, 2024 · Updated Apr 8, 2026

Authorization bypass in Meta Facebook Chat Plugin 1.5 and earlier allows remote authenticated users to replace the connected Facebook page. The wp_ajax_update_options action exposes fbmcc_update_options without a capability check, while any dashboard user can obtain its nonce and overwrite fbmcc_pageID. Subscriber-level access to wp-admin is enough to divert visitor chats to an attacker-controlled Messenger account or disable chat by clearing the page identifier.

CVSS severity7.4
High
EPSS probability0.35%
Next 30 days · Sep 16, 2026
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Based on sourced intelligence
Hinoki checkNot available
Coverage for this vulnerability

See if you're affected

Explore vulnerability checks for your environment with Hinoki.

Book a demo

Summary

What happened

Authorization bypass in Meta Facebook Chat Plugin 1.5 and earlier allows remote authenticated users to replace the connected Facebook page. The wp_ajax_update_options action exposes fbmcc_update_options without a capability check, while any dashboard user can obtain its nonce and overwrite fbmcc_pageID. Subscriber-level access to wp-admin is enough to divert visitor chats to an attacker-controlled Messenger account or disable chat by clearing the page identifier.

The record

CVE
CVE-2020-36838
Published
Oct 16, 2024
Updated
Apr 8, 2026
Vendor
Meta Platforms, Inc.
Product
Facebook Chat Plugin – Live Chat Plugin for WordPress
Classifications
CWE-284, T1565.001
Attack vector
network
Privileges
authenticated

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. Oct 16, 2024CVE 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

Compare your product and version with the public record. A matching version still requires validation against your environment.

Is a vulnerable build present?

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

  1. Affected versionversion=0 <1.6

What conditions does exploitation require?

Attack vectornetwork
Required privilegesauthenticated

What is affected?

Meta Platforms, Inc. · Facebook Chat Plugin – Live Chat Plugin for WordPressversion=0 <1.6

Published CVSS scores

7.4WordfenceCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:L/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.

Daily unique IPsNo honeypot observations are available for this CVE in the selected window.

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
Privilegesauthenticated
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Public exploitPublished

Weakness, pattern, technique

CWE-284Improper Access Control
T1565.001Stored Data Manipulation

Public exploit references

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

Technologies

Your stack

See the directory against your own environment.

Your stack

Check the software in your environment

Book a demo to see how Hinoki identifies affected software and validates exploitability in your environment.

Book a demo