Subscriber-to-Administrator escalation via unchecked settings update
Published Sep 13, 2023 · Updated Apr 8, 2026
Privilege escalation in WEBxMedia Ltd. BAN Users 1.5.3 and earlier allows remote authenticated users to obtain Administrator access. The w3dev_save_ban_user_settings_callback function saves user-controlled plugin settings without a capability check, exposing ban and unban controls and the role assigned during unbanning. A subscriber account is sufficient to change those settings and promote an account through the unban workflow.
Summary
What happened
Privilege escalation in WEBxMedia Ltd. BAN Users 1.5.3 and earlier allows remote authenticated users to obtain Administrator access. The w3dev_save_ban_user_settings_callback function saves user-controlled plugin settings without a capability check, exposing ban and unban controls and the role assigned during unbanning. A subscriber account is sufficient to change those settings and promote an account through the unban workflow.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2023-4153
- Published
- Sep 13, 2023
- Updated
- Apr 8, 2026
- Vendor
- WEBxMedia Ltd.
- Product
- BAN Users
- Classifications
- CWE-266, T1098
- Attack vector
- network
- Privileges
- authenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Sep 13, 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 <=1.5.3
What conditions does exploitation require?
What is affected?
Published CVSS scores
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Attacks
What attackers are doing with it
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Public exploit references
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Technologies
Your stack
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Your stack
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