# CVE-2023-2249: Server-side request forgery in wpForo Forum

> Authenticated attackers can exploit insecure file handling to read sensitive files, trigger deserialization for code execution, and perform server-side request forgery.

- **Severity:** High 8.8 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Any signed-in user
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 9 Jun 2023
- **Updated:** 8 Apr 2026
- **Also known as:** GHSA-9q86-473j-pphg

## What is CVE-2023-2249?

CVE-2023-2249 is a high-severity server-side request forgery vulnerability in tomdever wpForo Forum, published on 9 Jun 2023. Any signed-in user can exploit it over the network, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

The wpForo Forum plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Local File Include, Server-Side Request Forgery, and PHAR Deserialization in versions up to, and including, 2.1.7. This is due to the insecure use of file_get_contents without appropriate verification of the data being supplied to the function. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers, with minimal permissions such as a subscriber, to retrieve the contents of files like wp-config.php hosted on the system, perform a deserialization attack and possibly achieve remote code execution, and make requests to internal services.

Weakness: CWE-918 (Server-Side Request Forgery), CWE-829 (Inclusion of Functionality from Untrusted Control Sphere), CWE-98 (Improper Control of Filename for Include/Require Statement in PHP Program)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2023-2249?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Gvectors Wpforo Forum.

## How do I fix CVE-2023-2249?

No fix has been published for CVE-2023-2249 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2023-2249 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2023-2249 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in tomdever wpForo Forum

- [CVE-2024-3200](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2024-3200/): wpForo Forum <= 2.3.3 - Authenticated (Contributor+) SQL Injection (critical 9.9)
- [CVE-2022-40200](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2022-40200/): WordPress wpForo Forum plugin <= 2.0.9 - Auth. Arbitrary File Upload vulnerability (critical 9.9)
- [CVE-2018-16613](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2018-16613/): Privilege escalation in n/a (critical 9.8)
- [CVE-2026-28562](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-28562/): wpForo Forum 2.4.14 SQL Injection via Topics ORDER BY Parameter (high 8.8)
- [CVE-2022-38144](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2022-38144/): WordPress wpForo Forum plugin <= 2.0.5 - Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF) vulnerability (high 8.8)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2023-2249 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2023-2249 is a high-severity server-side request forgery vulnerability in tomdever wpForo Forum, published on 9 Jun 2023. Any signed-in user can exploit it over the network, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2023-2249 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: tomdever wpForo Forum. 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-2023-2249/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-2249/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2023-2249
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-2249
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2023-2249

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From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-2249/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.