CVE-2023-1874 [High] | Privilege Escalation in Wp Data Access

The WP Data Access plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to privilege escalation in versions up to, and including, 5.3.7. This is due to a lack of authorization checks on the multiple_roles_update function. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers, with minimal permissions such as a subscriber, to modify their user role by supplying the 'wpda_role[]' parameter during a profile update. This requires the 'Enable role management' setting to be enabled for the site.

#	Date	Old EPSS score	New EPSS score	Delta (New - Old)
1	2026-06-15	6.26%	2.73%	-3.54%
2	2026-06-10	5.71%	6.26%	+0.55%
3	2026-06-03	—	5.71%	—

Date

Old EPSS score

New EPSS score

Delta (New - Old)

2026-06-15

6.26%

2.73%

-3.54%

2026-06-10

5.71%

6.26%

+0.55%

2026-06-03

—

5.71%

—

Base score	Version	Severity	Vector	Exploitability	Impact	Score source
7.5	3.1	HIGH	`CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H` Click to expand Attack vector (AV:N) Could be attacked over the internet or any normal routed network—not just someone sitting at the machine. Attack complexity (AC:H) Even with access, the exploit needs extra luck, timing, or a fussy environment to actually work. Privileges required (PR:L) A normal user session is enough; they don’t have to be admin. User interaction (UI:N) Nobody has to click “OK” or open a trap file; it can work without a victim helping. Scope (S:U) Damage stays in the same “trust bubble” as the broken component—no big spill into unrelated systems. Confidentiality (C:H) Serious risk that confidential data gets exposed in a big way. Integrity (I:H) They could widely tamper with or forge data—trust in the data is badly hurt. Availability (A:H) Could take the service down hard or make it unusable for people who depend on it.	1.6	5.9	[email protected]
8.8	3.1	HIGH	`CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H` Click to expand Attack vector (AV:N) Could be attacked over the internet or any normal routed network—not just someone sitting at the machine. Attack complexity (AC:L) Once they can reach the bug, pulling it off is straightforward—no weird race conditions or rare setup. Privileges required (PR:L) A normal user session is enough; they don’t have to be admin. User interaction (UI:N) Nobody has to click “OK” or open a trap file; it can work without a victim helping. Scope (S:U) Damage stays in the same “trust bubble” as the broken component—no big spill into unrelated systems. Confidentiality (C:H) Serious risk that confidential data gets exposed in a big way. Integrity (I:H) They could widely tamper with or forge data—trust in the data is badly hurt. Availability (A:H) Could take the service down hard or make it unusable for people who depend on it.	2.8	5.9	[email protected]

Base score

Version

Severity

Vector

Exploitability

Impact

Score source

7.5

3.1

HIGH

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H Click to expand

Attack vector (AV:N): Could be attacked over the internet or any normal routed network—not just someone sitting at the machine.
Attack complexity (AC:H): Even with access, the exploit needs extra luck, timing, or a fussy environment to actually work.
Privileges required (PR:L): A normal user session is enough; they don’t have to be admin.
User interaction (UI:N): Nobody has to click “OK” or open a trap file; it can work without a victim helping.
Scope (S:U): Damage stays in the same “trust bubble” as the broken component—no big spill into unrelated systems.
Confidentiality (C:H): Serious risk that confidential data gets exposed in a big way.
Integrity (I:H): They could widely tamper with or forge data—trust in the data is badly hurt.
Availability (A:H): Could take the service down hard or make it unusable for people who depend on it.

1.6

5.9

[email protected]

8.8

3.1

HIGH

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H Click to expand

Attack vector (AV:N): Could be attacked over the internet or any normal routed network—not just someone sitting at the machine.
Attack complexity (AC:L): Once they can reach the bug, pulling it off is straightforward—no weird race conditions or rare setup.
Privileges required (PR:L): A normal user session is enough; they don’t have to be admin.
User interaction (UI:N): Nobody has to click “OK” or open a trap file; it can work without a victim helping.
Scope (S:U): Damage stays in the same “trust bubble” as the broken component—no big spill into unrelated systems.
Confidentiality (C:H): Serious risk that confidential data gets exposed in a big way.
Integrity (I:H): They could widely tamper with or forge data—trust in the data is badly hurt.
Availability (A:H): Could take the service down hard or make it unusable for people who depend on it.

2.8

5.9

[email protected]

Affected software / configurations for CVE-2023-1874

Vendor	Product	Version	Raw CPE
wpdataaccess	wp_data_access	<= 5.3.7	cpe:2.3:a:wpdataaccess:wp_data_access::::::wordpress::*

References for CVE-2023-1874

URL	Tags
https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/wp-data-access/tags/5.3.7/WPDataRoles/WPDA_Roles.php#L50	Not Applicable
https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/wp-data-access/tags/5.3.8/WPDataRoles/WPDA_Roles.php#L23	Not Applicable
https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/wp-data-access/tags/5.3.8/WPDataRoles/WPDA_Roles.php#L50	Not Applicable
https://www.wordfence.com/blog/2023/04/privilege-escalation-vulnerability-patched-promptly-in-wp-data-access-wordpress-plugin/
https://www.wordfence.com/threat-intel/vulnerabilities/id/8f562e33-2aef-46f0-8a65-691155ede9e7?source=cve	Third Party Advisory
http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/171825/WordPress-WP-Data-Access-5.3.7-Privilege-Escalation.html	Third Party Advisory VDB Entry

URL

CVE-2023-1874 | WP Data Access <= 5.3.7 - Authenticated (Subscriber+) Privilege Escalation

Exploit prediction scoring system (EPSS) score for CVE-2023-1874

Common vulnerability scoring system (CVSS) metrics for CVE-2023-1874

Weakness enumeration for CVE-2023-1874

Affected software / configurations for CVE-2023-1874

References for CVE-2023-1874