CVE-2023-37888 | WordPress Phlox Core Elements plugin <= 2.14.0 - Unauthenticated Local File Inclusion vulnerability

Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal') vulnerability in By Averta Shortcodes and extra features for Phlox theme allows PHP Local File Inclusion.This issue affects Shortcodes and extra features for Phlox theme: from n/a through 2.14.0.

Published: 2024-05-17 Last update: 2026-06-17 Assigner: [email protected] Source: [email protected]

Conclusion & alert: CVE-2023-37888 is rated Moderate Risk (46.9/100): CVSS High severity, with low exploitation likelihood (EPSS 0.68%). Mandatory action: Review affected assets and schedule remediation.

Risk is dynamic; we continuously reassess and refresh what is shown on this page as upstream context changes.

Exploit prediction scoring system (EPSS) score for CVE-2023-37888

EPSS lead: Daily EPSS estimates relative likelihood of exploitation; percentile ranks this CVE among scored vulnerabilities (higher = more severe relative rank).

# Date Old EPSS score New EPSS score Delta (New - Old)
1 2026-06-15 0.65% 0.68% +0.03%
2 2025-11-21 0.47% 0.65% +0.18%
3 2025-11-18 0.47%

Full EPSS history (12 records total)

Common vulnerability scoring system (CVSS) metrics for CVE-2023-37888

CVSS metrics for this CVE.

Base score Version Severity Vector Exploitability Impact Score source
7.6 3.1 HIGH
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:L/A:L 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:L)
Attackers could change some data, but it’s limited—not everything goes.
Availability (A:L)
Might cause slowdowns, glitches, or partial disruption—not a full brick.
2.8 4.7 [email protected]
9.8 3.1 CRITICAL
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/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:N)
No account or special rights needed—anonymous or random user is enough.
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.
3.9 5.9 [email protected]

Weakness enumeration for CVE-2023-37888

Affected software / configurations for CVE-2023-37888

Vendor Product Version Raw CPE
averta shortcodes_and_extra_features_for_phlox_theme < 2.15.0 cpe:2.3:a:averta:shortcodes_and_extra_features_for_phlox_theme:*:*:*:*:*:wordpress:*:*

References for CVE-2023-37888

cvelogic Threat Intelligence