CVE-2022-43504
Published: 05 December 2022
Summary
CVE-2022-43504 is a medium-severity Improper Authentication (CWE-287) vulnerability in Wordpress Wordpress. Its CVSS base score is 5.3 (Medium).
Operationally, ranked in the top 14.4% of CVEs by exploit likelihood; it is not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog.
Deeper analysis
CVE-2022-43504 is an improper authentication vulnerability affecting the WordPress Post by Email feature in all versions prior to 6.0.3. The flaw resides in the authentication logic that handles incoming email posts, allowing exposure of the posting user's email address without requiring any credentials.
A remote unauthenticated attacker can exploit the issue over the network by interacting with the Post by Email endpoint, resulting in disclosure of the target user's email address. The vulnerability carries a CVSS 3.1 score of 5.3 and maps to CWE-287, reflecting limited impact confined to confidentiality of a single data element.
WordPress issued version 6.0.3 as a security release and supplied patched updates for all supported branches back to 3.7; the official advisories direct administrators to the wordpress.org download page and the JVN bulletin for upgrade guidance.
EPSS for the CVE rose from a low baseline to a peak of 0.0601 on 2025-12-11 before receding to the current value of 0.0248, indicating measurable post-disclosure exploitation interest that later subsided.
EU & UK References
- 🇪🇺 ENISA EUVD: EUVD-2022-46502
Vulnerability details
Improper authentication vulnerability in WordPress versions prior to 6.0.3 allows a remote unauthenticated attacker to obtain the email address of the user who posted a blog using the WordPress Post by Email Feature. The developer also provides new patched releases…
more
for all versions since 3.7.
- CWE(s)
Related Threats
No named actor attribution yet. ATT&CK technique mapping in progress for this CVE.
Affected Assets
Mitigating Controls
Likely Mitigating Controls AI
Per-CVE control mapping for this CVE has not run yet; the list below is derived from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry.
Detects unauthorized successful logons resulting from improper authentication implementations.
Documented procedures ensure personnel are trained on authentication mechanisms, tangibly lowering the risk of improper authentication being exploited.
Security awareness training instructs users on secure authentication practices and avoiding credential compromise.
Training on authentication mechanisms and best practices decreases the occurrence of improper authentication.
Non-repudiation requires strong authentication mechanisms to irrefutably attribute performed actions to specific individuals or processes.
Session content review can reveal authentication bypasses or failures in session establishment.
Review of authentication-related audit records can detect improper authentication mechanisms or bypasses.
Assessments check authentication mechanisms for correct implementation and effectiveness, reducing successful authentication bypass attempts.