# CVE-2023-3244: Comments Like Dislike <= 1.2.0 - Missing Authorization to Authenticated (Subscriber+) Plugin Setting Reset

> Authenticated subscribers can reset plugin settings due to missing capability checks in the Comments Like Dislike WordPress plugin.

- **Severity:** Medium 4.3 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:N`)
- **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:** 17 Aug 2023
- **Updated:** 8 Apr 2026
- **Also known as:** GHSA-5pr3-pwqq-x984

## What is CVE-2023-3244?

CVE-2023-3244 is a medium-severity missing authorization vulnerability in happy-coders Comments Like Dislike, published on 17 Aug 2023. Any signed-in user can exploit it over the network, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

The Comments Like Dislike plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to unauthorized modification of data due to a missing capability check on the restore_settings function called via an AJAX action in versions up to, and including, 1.2.0. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers with minimal permissions, such as a subscriber, to reset the plugin's settings. NOTE: this issue is was only partially patched in version 1.2.0, as the nonce is still present to subscriber-level users.

Weakness: CWE-862 (Missing Authorization)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2023-3244?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Wphappycoders Comments Like Dislike.

## How do I fix CVE-2023-3244?

No fix has been published for CVE-2023-3244 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2023-3244 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2023-3244 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Public exploit code:

- This is a Proof of Concept (PoC) for CVE-2023-3244, a vulnerability in comment-like-dislike. The PoC demonstrates the exploitability of this vulnerability and serves as a reference for security researchers and developers to better understand and mitigate the risk associated with this issue. (github_poc): https://github.com/drnull03/POC-CVE-2023-3244

## Other vulnerabilities in happy-coders Comments Like Dislike

- [CVE-2021-24379](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2021-24379/): Comments Like Dislike < 1.1.4 - Add Like/Dislike Bypass (medium 5.3)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2023-3244 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2023-3244 is a medium-severity missing authorization vulnerability in happy-coders Comments Like Dislike, published on 17 Aug 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-2023-3244 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: happy-coders Comments Like Dislike. 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-2023-3244/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-3244/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2023-3244
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-3244
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2023-3244

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-3244/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.