CVE-2020-9043Known exploitationPublic exploitNetwork attack vector

Administrator access via exposed connection key

Published Feb 17, 2020 · Updated Aug 4, 2024

Improper access control in wpCentral before 1.5.1 allows remote authenticated users to obtain administrator access via a connection key. The wpc_modal_dialog function adds the persistent wpcentral_auth_key to every wp-admin footer without checking administrator capabilities. Subscriber-level access is sufficient; open registration supplies that gate, and the key enables sign-on as user 1 with full site control.

CVSS severity9.8
Critical
EPSS probability8.17%
Next 30 days · Sep 16, 2026
Known exploitationReported
Based on sourced intelligence
Hinoki checkNot available
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Summary

What happened

Improper access control in wpCentral before 1.5.1 allows remote authenticated users to obtain administrator access via a connection key. The wpc_modal_dialog function adds the persistent wpcentral_auth_key to every wp-admin footer without checking administrator capabilities. Subscriber-level access is sufficient; open registration supplies that gate, and the key enables sign-on as user 1 with full site control.

The record

CVE
CVE-2020-9043
Published
Feb 17, 2020
Updated
Aug 4, 2024
Vendor
Unknown vendor
Product
Unknown product
Classifications
CWE-200, T1528
Attack vector
network
Privileges
authenticated

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. Feb 17, 2020CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
  2. Aug 4, 2024Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.

Exploitability

Present is not the same as exploitable

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Is a vulnerable build present?

Affected buildAffected product and version details are unavailable.

What conditions does exploitation require?

Attack vectornetwork
Required privilegesauthenticated

What is affected?

Affected products and versions are unavailable in this record.

Published CVSS scores

8.8WordfenceCVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
9.8WordfenceCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

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 9, 2026Sep 15, 2026
Latest reporting daySep 15, 2026
Latest daily unique IPsUnavailable
Prior 30-day averageUnavailable
SourceShadowserver honeypots (KEV)
Vectornetwork
Privilegesauthenticated
Known exploitationReported
Public exploitPublished

Weakness, pattern, technique

CWE-200Exposure of Sensitive Information to an Unauthorized Actor
T1528Steal Application Access Token

Public exploit references

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

Reported exploitation

Technologies

Your stack

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Your stack

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