# CVE-2023-2309: wpForo Forum < 2.1.9 - Reflected Cross-Site Scripting

> Attackers can execute arbitrary scripts in victim browsers via reflected XSS in wpForo Forum when debug mode is enabled.

- **Severity:** Medium 6.1 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Not needed
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** A user has to click or open something
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 24 Jul 2023
- **Updated:** 24 Oct 2024
- **Also known as:** GHSA-f9rf-7669-xvj8

## What is CVE-2023-2309?

CVE-2023-2309 is a medium-severity cross-site scripting vulnerability in Unknown wpForo Forum, published on 24 Jul 2023. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, and only if a user opens a file or follows a link.

### Official description

The wpForo Forum WordPress plugin before 2.1.9 does not escape some request parameters while in debug mode, leading to a Reflected Cross-Site Scripting vulnerability.

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2023-2309?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Gvectors Wpforo Forum.

## How do I fix CVE-2023-2309?

No fix has been published for CVE-2023-2309 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2023-2309 being exploited?

It is not confirmed as exploited in the wild, but public exploit code for CVE-2023-2309 exists.

Public exploit code:

- wpForo Forum <= 2.1.8 - Cross-Site Scripting (nuclei): http/cves/2023/CVE-2023-2309.yaml

## Other vulnerabilities in Unknown 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-2023-2249](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-2249/): Server-side request forgery in wpForo Forum (high 8.8)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2023-2309 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2023-2309 is a medium-severity cross-site scripting vulnerability in Unknown wpForo Forum, published on 24 Jul 2023. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, and only if a user opens a file or follows a link.
Exploitation: It is not confirmed as exploited in the wild, but public exploit code for CVE-2023-2309 exists.

Affected product: Unknown 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-2023-2309/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-2309/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2023-2309
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-2309
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2023-2309

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-2309/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.