CVE-2023-5360
published 2023-10-31CVE-2023-5360: The Royal Elementor Addons and Templates WordPress plugin before 1.3.79 does not properly validate uploaded files, which could allow unauthenticated users to…
PriorityP193critical9.8CVSS 3.1
AVNACLPRNUINSUCHIHAH
ITWEXPLOITVulnCheck KEVInitial access
Exploited in the wild
EPSS
81.69%
99.6th percentile
The Royal Elementor Addons and Templates WordPress plugin before 1.3.79 does not properly validate uploaded files, which could allow unauthenticated users to upload arbitrary files, such as PHP and achieve RCE.
Affected
1 ranges
| Vendor | Product | Version range | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|---|
| royal-elementor-addons | royal_elementor_addons | < 1.3.79 | 1.3.79 |
Detection & IOCsextracted from sources · hover to see the quote
snort
alert http $EXTERNAL_NET any -> $HOME_NET any (msg:"ET EXPLOIT Suspected WordPress Plugin Royal Elementor RCE (CVE-2023-5360)"; flow:established,to_server; http.method; content:"POST"; http.uri; content:"/wp-admin/admin-ajax.php"; endswith; http.content_type; content:"multipart/form-data|3b 20|boundary="; startswith; http.request_body; content:"form-data|3b 20|name=|22|wpr_addons_nonce|22|"; fast_pattern; content:"form-data|3b 20|name=|22|max_file_size|22|"; distance:0; content:"form-data|3b 20|name=|22|allowed_file_types|22|"; distance:0; content:"form-data|3b 20|name=|22|triggering_event|22|"; distance:0; content:"form-data|3b 20|name=|22|uploaded_file|22 3b 20|"; distance:0; reference:url,nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-5360; reference:cve,2023-5360; classtype:attempted-admin; sid:2049627; rev:1;)
- →Exploit POST requests target /wp-admin/admin-ajax.php with multipart/form-data body containing fields: wpr_addons_nonce, max_file_size, allowed_file_types, triggering_event, and uploaded_file — all present in a single request.
- →The bypass technique manipulates the 'allowed_file_types' field value to 'ph$p' (or similar obfuscated PHP extension) to circumvent the plugin's extension allowlist validation. ↗
- →After successful exploitation, monitor for newly created PHP webshells under the path /wp-content/uploads/wpr-addons/forms/*.php.
- →Monitor WordPress user creation events for the rogue admin account named 'wordpress_administrator', which is a strong indicator of post-exploitation activity. ↗
- →Nonce value for the exploit request can be extracted from the page source via the WprConfig JavaScript object: regex 'WprConfig\s*=\s*{[^}]*"nonce"\s*:\s*"([^"]*)"'.
- →Attack volume spiked significantly starting October 3, 2023; the majority of attacks originated from just two IP addresses, suggesting a narrow threat actor set. ↗
- ·The vulnerability only affects Royal Elementor Addons and Templates versions prior to 1.3.79; version 1.3.79 contains the patch. ↗
- ·Updating to version 1.3.79 does NOT automatically remove already-uploaded malicious files or infections; manual site cleanup is required post-patching. ↗
- ·The exploit is unauthenticated — no WordPress credentials are required to trigger the file upload, making all internet-exposed instances of the vulnerable plugin at risk. ↗
CVSS provenance
nvdv3.19.8CRITICALCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
vulncheck9.8CRITICAL
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GHSA
GHSA-2rrm-7h4w-qg5g: The Royal Elementor Addons and Templates WordPress plugin before 1
ghsa_unreviewed·2023-10-31
CVE-2023-5360 [CRITICAL] CWE-434 GHSA-2rrm-7h4w-qg5g: The Royal Elementor Addons and Templates WordPress plugin before 1
The Royal Elementor Addons and Templates WordPress plugin before 1.3.79 does not properly validate uploaded files, which could allow unauthenticated users to upload arbitrary files, such as PHP and achieve RCE.
VulnCheck
royal-elementor-addons royal_elementor_addons Unrestricted Upload of File with Dangerous Type
vulncheck·2023·CVSS 9.8
CVE-2023-5360 [CRITICAL] royal-elementor-addons royal_elementor_addons Unrestricted Upload of File with Dangerous Type
royal-elementor-addons royal_elementor_addons Unrestricted Upload of File with Dangerous Type
The Royal Elementor Addons and Templates WordPress plugin before 1.3.79 does not properly validate uploaded files, which could allow unauthenticated users to upload arbitrary files, such as PHP and achieve RCE.
Affected: royal-elementor-addons royal_elementor_addons
Required Action: Apply remediations or mitigations per vendor instructions or discontinue use of the product if remediation or mitigations are unavailable.
Exploitation References: https://www.wordfence.com/blog/2023/10/psa-critical-unauthenticated-arbitrary-file-upload-vulnerability-in-royal-elementor-addons-and-templates-being-actively-exploited/
Exploit PoC: https://vulncheck.com/xdb/ec5672b9bf5c; https://vulncheck.com/xdb/6ab8
Suricata
ET EXPLOIT Suspected WordPress Plugin Royal Elementor RCE (CVE-2023-5360)
suricata·2023-12-08·CVSS 9.8
CVE-2023-5360 [CRITICAL] ET EXPLOIT Suspected WordPress Plugin Royal Elementor RCE (CVE-2023-5360)
ET EXPLOIT Suspected WordPress Plugin Royal Elementor RCE (CVE-2023-5360)
Rule: alert http $EXTERNAL_NET any -> $HOME_NET any (msg:"ET EXPLOIT Suspected WordPress Plugin Royal Elementor RCE (CVE-2023-5360)"; flow:established,to_server; http.method; content:"POST"; http.uri; content:"/wp-admin/admin-ajax.php"; endswith; http.content_type; content:"multipart/form-data|3b 20|boundary="; startswith; http.request_body; content:"form-data|3b 20|name=|22|wpr_addons_nonce|22|"; fast_pattern; content:"form-data|3b 20|name=|22|max_file_size|22|"; distance:0; content:"form-data|3b 20|name=|22|allowed_file_types|22|"; distance:0; content:"form-data|3b 20|name=|22|triggering_event|22|"; distance:0; content:"form-data|3b 20|name=|22|uploaded_file|22 3b 20|"; distance:0; reference:url,nvd.nist.gov/vuln/
Exploit-DB
Royal Elementor Addons and Templates 1.3.78 - Unauthenticated Arbitrary File Upload
exploitdb·2025-04-05·CVSS 9.8
CVE-2023-5360 [CRITICAL] Royal Elementor Addons and Templates 1.3.78 - Unauthenticated Arbitrary File Upload
Royal Elementor Addons and Templates 1.3.78 - Unauthenticated Arbitrary File Upload
---
# Exploit Title: WordPress Plugin Royal Elementor Addons '
tmp.write(shell_code.encode())
return tmp.name
def main():
parser = argparse.ArgumentParser(description="Royal Elementor Addons ] Access it with: {uploaded_url}?cmd=id[/yellow]")
else:
console.print("[red][-] Upload failed. Target may be patched or not vulnerable.[/red]")
if __name__ == "__main__":
main()
Metasploit
WordPress Royal Elementor Addons RCE
metasploit
WordPress Royal Elementor Addons RCE
WordPress Royal Elementor Addons RCE
Exploit for the unauthenticated file upload vulnerability in WordPress Royal Elementor Addons and Templates plugin (< 1.3.79).
Nuclei
WordPress Royal Elementor Addons Plugin <= 1.3.78 - Arbitrary File Upload
nuclei·CVSS 9.8
CVE-2023-5360 [CRITICAL] WordPress Royal Elementor Addons Plugin <= 1.3.78 - Arbitrary File Upload
WordPress Royal Elementor Addons Plugin
-----------------------------318949277012917151102295043236
Content-Disposition: form-data; name="allowed_file_types"
ph$p
-----------------------------318949277012917151102295043236
Content-Disposition: form-data; name="triggering_event"
click
-----------------------------318949277012917151102295043236
Content-Disposition: form-data; name="wpr_addons_nonce"
{{nonce}}
-----------------------------318949277012917151102295043236--
- |
GET /wp-content/uploads/wpr-addons/forms/{{filename}}.php HTTP/1.1
Host: {{Hostname}}
matchers-condition: and
matchers:
- type: word
part: body_3
words:
- '{{md5(string)}}'
extractors:
- type: regex
name: nonce
part: body_1
group: 1
regex:
- 'WprConfig\s*=\s*{[^}]*"nonce"\s*:\s*"([^"]*)"'
internal: true
- type: rege
Bleepingcomputer
Hackers exploit critical flaw in WordPress Royal Elementor plugin
blogs_bleepingcomputer·2023-10-16·CVSS 9.8
[CRITICAL] Hackers exploit critical flaw in WordPress Royal Elementor plugin
## Hackers exploit critical flaw in WordPress Royal Elementor plugin
## Bill Toulas
A critical severity vulnerability impacting Royal Elementor Addons and Templates up to version 1.3.78 is reported to be actively exploited by two WordPress security teams.
Since the exploitation was observed before the vendor released a patch, the flaw was leveraged by hackers as a zero-day.
Royal Elementor Addons and Templates by 'WP Royal' is a website-building kit that allows the quick creation of web elements without coding knowledge. According to WordPress.org, it has over 200,000 active installations .
The flaw impacting the add-on is tracked as CVE-2023-5360 (CVSS v3.1: 9.8 "critical"), allowing unauthenticated attackers to perform arbitrary file uploads on vulnerable sites.
Although the plugin
Greynoiseio
NoiseLetter April 2025
blogs_greynoiseio
NoiseLetter April 2025
CVE Disclosure Early Warning Get an early warning when traffic spikes indicate a high likelihood of new disclosures
Compromised Asset Detection Find out immediately if an asset communicates with a malicious IP address
Vulnerability Prioritization Get real-time insight into active exploitation trends to better understand risk and severity
SOC Efficiency Filter out noisy, low priority and false-positive alerts from mass internet scanners
Incident Investigation Add context to incidents to speed the determinations of scope and timelines
Threat Hunting Quickly identify anomalous behavior and enrich your threat hunting campaigns
Why GreyNoise
CVE Disclosure Early Warning Get an early warning when traffic spikes indicate a high likelihood of new disclosures
Compromised Asset Detection Fin
http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/175992/WordPress-Royal-Elementor-Addons-And-Templates-Remote-Shell-Upload.htmlhttps://wpscan.com/vulnerability/281518ff-7816-4007-b712-63aed7828b34http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/175992/WordPress-Royal-Elementor-Addons-And-Templates-Remote-Shell-Upload.htmlhttps://wpscan.com/vulnerability/281518ff-7816-4007-b712-63aed7828b34
2023-10-31
Published
Exploited in the wild