CVE-2023-26540
📛 CVE Title
WordPress Houzez theme <= 2.7.1 - Privilege Escalation
Description
Improper Privilege Management vulnerability in Favethemes Houzez allows Privilege Escalation.This issue affects Houzez: from n/a through 2.7.1.
Overview
- State
- PUBLISHED
- Assigner (CNA)
- Patchstack
- CVSS severity
- CRITICAL
- CVSS score
- 9.8 / 10
- CVSS vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H- Effective score
- 9.8 / 10 CRITICAL source: CNA overview
- CWE(s)
-
CWE-269 - Reserved
- 2023-02-24
- Published
- 2024-05-17 08:41 UTC
- Last updated
- 2026-04-28 18:08 UTC
- Source
- https://raw.githubusercontent.com/CVEProject/cvelistV5/main/cves/2023/26xxx/CVE-2023-26540.json
- Linked Threat
- CVE-2023-26540 — Houzez <= 2.7.1 - Privilege Escalation
NVD triage scoring NVD CVE 2.0
Layer NVD adds on top of the CNA's CVE record — published / last-modified timestamps, exploitability / impact subscores, and the FIRST.org EPSS probability that this CVE will be exploited in the wild in the next 30 days.
- NVD published
- 2024-05-17 07:15:52 UTC
- NVD last modified
- 2026-06-17 05:43:32 UTC
- NVD CVSS v3.1
- 9.8 / 10 CRITICAL source: audit@patchstack.com
- NVD CVSS vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H- Exploitability subscore
- 3.9 / 10
- Impact subscore
- 5.9 / 10
- EPSS score
- 0.0273 (probability of exploitation in next 30 days)
- EPSS percentile
- 84.30% vs all CVEs — higher = more likely to be exploited, as of 2026-07-05
NVD / KEV / EPSS data refreshed 2026-07-06 02:26 UTC. Re-run the 🛰 Backfill from NVD button above to refresh.
European Union Vulnerability Database ENISA EUVD
ENISA's official EU repository for curated vulnerability intelligence. Carries a separate identifier (EUVD-YYYY-NNNN) and frequently exposes an earlier-published description + CVSS than NVD does.
- EUVD ID
-
EUVD-2023-30337 - Assigner
- Patchstack
- Published
- May 17, 2024, 6:41:55 AM
- Updated
- Apr 28, 2026, 4:08:12 PM
- EUVD base score (CVSS 3.1)
-
9.8 / 10
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H - EUVD-reported EPSS
- 0.7100
- Vendors
- Favethemes
- Products
-
Houzez (n/a ≤2.7.1)
- Aliases
-
GHSA-7cvq-76gv-h3mf
ENISA description: Improper Privilege Management vulnerability in Favethemes Houzez allows Privilege Escalation.This issue affects Houzez: from n/a through 2.7.1.
Affected products (1)
| Vendor | Product | Versions | Platforms |
|---|---|---|---|
| Favethemes | Houzez |
n/a (affected)
|
— |
Vendor references (1)
References embedded in the original CVE record by the assigning CNA.
MITRE references (1) cveawg.mitre.org
Pulled from MITRE's CVE Services API by the 🛰 Backfill from MITRE button.
Web references (5)
DuckDuckGo results ranked by threat-intel / vendor advisory domains. Generated by the 🔎 Find references (web) button above — same flow as the Remediations search.
- http://cwe.mitre.org/data/definitions/269.html rapid7:cwe.mitre.org
- https://attackerkb.com/topics/CVE-2023-26540 rapid7:attackerkb.com
- https://euvd.enisa.europa.eu/vulnerability/EUVD-2023-30337 rapid7:euvd.enisa.europa.eu
- https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2023-26540 rapid7:www.cve.org
- https://www.wordfence.com/threat-intel/vulnerabilities/id/0578f4d1-5953-4fbe-8bc3-0569bee57a1a?source=api-prod rapid7:www.wordfence.com
NVD-tagged references (2)
Reference list NVD curates from the CNA record, vendor advisories, and third-party reports. The tag chips below are NVD's analyst-assigned categories.
- https://patchstack.com/database/vulnerability/houzez/wordpress-houzez-theme-2-7-1-privilege-escalation?_s_id=cve audit@patchstack.com
- https://patchstack.com/database/vulnerability/houzez/wordpress-houzez-theme-2-7-1-privilege-escalation?_s_id=cve af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108
Indicators (2)
IOCs linked to the auto-promoted Threat row.
| Type | Value | VirusTotal | Attached |
|---|---|---|---|
| domain |
escalation.this
|
no local data | 2026-05-18 21:20 UTC |
| cve |
CVE-2023-26540
|
no local data | 2026-06-06 15:11 UTC |
Remediations (23)
Remediations are stored against the linked Threat row; the list below is deduplicated across both pages.
-
web:www.malwarebytes.com
Attackers are abusing a critical Ghost Content Management System (CMS) vulnerability to hijack more than 700 legitimate websites and inject a fake Cloudflare verification step that tricks visitors into running a Windows command that installs malware. These social engineering campaigns—where website visitors are tricked into running malicious commands on their systems—are commonly known as ...
2026-06-09 05:55 UTC -
web:www.microsoft.com
Security Update Guide Notifications Microsoft's free Security Update Guide Notifications provide links to security-related software updates and notification of re-released security updates. These notifications are sent via email throughout the month as needed.
2026-06-09 05:55 UTC -
web:www.bleepingcomputer.com
Today is Microsoft's September 2025 Patch Tuesday, which includes security updates for 81 flaws, including two publicly disclosed zero-day vulnerabilities.
2026-06-09 05:55 UTC -
web:support.servicenow.com
Overview The advisories below document publicly disclosed Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures ( CVEs ) in the Now Platform by ServiceNow. Because ServiceNow uses various methods to communicate vulnerability information, patches, and other fixes, customers should review family, security patch , and hotfix release notes, which are available at https://docs.servicenow.com, for a complete list of ...
2026-06-09 05:55 UTC -
Wordfence remediation: HouzezWordfence
Update to version 2.7.2, or a newer patched version
2026-06-06 15:11 UTC -
web:www.bleepingcomputer.com
CISA has ordered U.S. federal agencies to patch a Microsoft Defender privilege escalation flaw (dubbed BlueHammer) that has been exploited in zero-day attacks.
2026-05-22 06:08 UTC -
web:www.securityweek.com
Microsoft has announced mitigations for CVE -2026-45585, a BitLocker bypass triggered via FsTx in Windows Recovery.
2026-05-22 06:08 UTC -
web:www.techrepublic.com
Microsoft's April 2026 Patch Tuesday fixes 165 vulnerabilities, including two zero-days, in one of the company's largest monthly security updates.
2026-05-22 06:08 UTC -
web:zecurit.com
Get the complete breakdown of Microsoft's May 2026 Patch Tuesday. We analyze the latest security updates and all critical CVEs .
2026-05-22 06:08 UTC -
web:cybersecuritynews.com
No patch has been released yet; Microsoft has instead issued a multi-step manual mitigation guide while a formal security update is prepared. Windows BitLocker Security Bypass The vulnerability originates in WinRE's handling of the BootExecute registry value under HKLM\ControlSet001\Control\Session Manager.
2026-05-22 06:08 UTC -
web:www.oracle.com
This Critical Patch Update contains 481 new security patches across the product families listed below. Please note that an MOS note summarizing the content of this Critical Patch Update and other Oracle Software Security Assurance activities is located at April 2026 Critical Patch Update: Executive Summary and Analysis.
2026-05-22 06:08 UTC -
web:krebsonsecurity.com
October's Patch Tuesday also marks the final month that Microsoft will ship security updates for Windows 10 systems.
2026-05-22 06:08 UTC -
web:nvd.nist.gov
An official website of the United States government Here's how you know
2026-05-22 06:08 UTC -
web:www.cyera.com
Cyera Research identifies CVE -2026-34040, a critical Docker bypass. Learn how 1MB+ requests silence security plugins and how to patch Docker Engine 29.3.1 today.
2026-05-22 02:45 UTC -
web:portal.msrc.microsoft.com
The Security Update Guide provides information on the latest Microsoft security updates, helping users understand and address potential vulnerabilities effectively.
2026-05-22 02:45 UTC -
web:securityboulevard.com
Cybersecurity vulnerabilities pose significant risks to organizations in today's digital landscape. Left unaddressed, these vulnerabilities can lead to data breaches, financial losses, and reputational damage. Organizations must decide how to tackle vulnerabilities—through remediation , mitigation , or a combination of both. But which strategy is more effective? This blog explores the ...
2026-05-22 02:45 UTC -
web:www.bleepingcomputer.com
Today is Microsoft's March 2025 Patch Tuesday, which includes security updates for 57 flaws, including six actively exploited zero-day vulnerabilities.
2026-05-22 02:45 UTC -
web:www.cisa.gov
If vulnerabilities cannot be remediated within the recommended timeframes, develop a remediation plan for action and coordination across the organization. The remediation plan should include: Vulnerability remediation constraints Interim mitigation actions to overcome constraints Final actions required to remediate vulnerability
2026-05-22 02:45 UTC -
web:cybersecuritynews.com
Microsoft's May 2026 Patch Tuesday lands with a heavy enterprise focus, fixing 120 vulnerabilities across Windows, Office, Azure, developer tools, and Microsoft 365 apps, including 29 remote code execution (RCE) flaws rated Critical.
2026-05-22 02:45 UTC -
web:www.forbes.com
Microsoft has confirmed an emergency security update as CISA warns that two new Defender zero-days are being exploited by attackers.
2026-05-22 02:45 UTC -
web:www.oracle.com
This Critical Patch Update contains 374 new security patches across the product families listed below. Please note that an MOS note summarizing the content of this Critical Patch Update and other Oracle Software Security Assurance activities is located at October 2025 Critical Patch Update: Executive Summary and Analysis.
2026-05-22 02:45 UTC -
web:www.pcworld.com
This month's Patch Tuesday includes an actively exploited Office zero-day vulnerability and several critical RCE bugs in Windows and Remote Desktop.
2026-05-22 02:45 UTC -
web:www.secure.com
Learn the difference between vulnerability remediation and mitigation , and how a risk-based strategy can strengthen your security posture.
2026-05-22 02:45 UTC
AI Forensic Analysis
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Raw JSON
The full cvelistV5 record. Download as CVE-2023-26540.json.
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