# CVE-2023-2078: Buy Me a Coffee – Button and Widget Plugin <= 3.7 - Missing Authorization

> Authenticated subscribers can modify plugin settings due to missing capability checks in the Buy Me a Coffee WordPress plugin.

- **Severity:** High 7.3 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:L`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Not needed
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 11 Jul 2023
- **Updated:** 8 Apr 2026
- **Also known as:** GHSA-jjrx-x5mm-p728

## What is CVE-2023-2078?

CVE-2023-2078 is a high-severity missing authorization vulnerability in buymeacoffee Buy Me a Coffee – Button and Widget Plugin, published on 11 Jul 2023. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

The "Buy Me a Coffee – Button and Widget Plugin" plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to unauthorized modification of data due to missing capability checks on the recieve_post, bmc_disconnect, name_post, and widget_post functions in versions up to, and including, 3.7. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers, with minimal permissions such as subscribers, to update the plugins settings. CVE-2023-25030 may be a duplicate of this issue.

Weakness: CWE-862 (Missing Authorization)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2023-2078?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Buymeacoffee Buy Me a Coffee.

## How do I fix CVE-2023-2078?

No fix has been published for CVE-2023-2078 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2023-2078 being exploited?

It is not confirmed as exploited in the wild, but public exploit code for CVE-2023-2078 exists.

## Other vulnerabilities in buymeacoffee Buy Me a Coffee – Button and Widget Plugin

- [CVE-2023-2079](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-2079/): Buy Me a Coffee – Button and Widget Plugin <= 3.7 - Cross-Site Request Forgery (high 7.1)
- [CVE-2023-2082](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-2082/): Buy Me a Coffee – Button and Widget Plugin <= 3.6 - Authenticated (Subscriber+) Stored Cross-Site Scripting (medium 6.4)
- [CVE-2023-2578](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-2578/): Buy Me a Coffee < 3.7 - Admin+ Stored XSS (medium 4.8)
- [CVE-2023-25030](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-25030/): WordPress Buy Me a Coffee plugin <= 3.7 - Broken Access Control vulnerability (medium 4.3)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2023-2078 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2023-2078 is a high-severity missing authorization vulnerability in buymeacoffee Buy Me a Coffee – Button and Widget Plugin, published on 11 Jul 2023. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: It is not confirmed as exploited in the wild, but public exploit code for CVE-2023-2078 exists.

Affected product: buymeacoffee Buy Me a Coffee – Button and Widget Plugin. No package-level version data is available, so check the vendor advisory linked from the reference page.

Task:
1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies.
2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it.
3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead.
4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why.
5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing.

Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-2078/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-2078/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2023-2078
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-2078
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2023-2078

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From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-2078/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.