Subscriber-to-Administrator escalation via unrestricted user metadata update
Published Jun 6, 2023 · Updated Apr 8, 2026
Privilege escalation in ReviewX 1.6.13 and earlier allows remote authenticated users to grant themselves Administrator access. The rx_set_screen_options function passes attacker-chosen screen-option keys and values to update_user_meta without restricting the metadata key or value. Subscriber-level access and a general screen-options nonce are sufficient to overwrite wp_capabilities, enabling full administrative control of the WordPress site.
Summary
What happened
Privilege escalation in ReviewX 1.6.13 and earlier allows remote authenticated users to grant themselves Administrator access. The rx_set_screen_options function passes attacker-chosen screen-option keys and values to update_user_meta without restricting the metadata key or value. Subscriber-level access and a general screen-options nonce are sufficient to overwrite wp_capabilities, enabling full administrative control of the WordPress site.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2023-2833
- Published
- Jun 6, 2023
- Updated
- Apr 8, 2026
- Vendor
- ReviewX Team
- Product
- ReviewX
- Classifications
- CWE-269, T1068
- Attack vector
- network
- Privileges
- authenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Jun 6, 2023CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- 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.
- Affected versionversion=0 <=1.6.13
What conditions does exploitation require?
What is affected?
Published CVSS scores
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.
Weakness, pattern, technique
Public exploit references
No public exploit references are available in this record.
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Technologies
Your stack
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Your stack
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