Directorist <= 7.5.4 - Authenticated (Subscriber+) Arbitrary User Password Reset to Privilege Escalation
Strategic Overview
- Status
- Patched in 7.5.5
- Affected Version
<= 7.5.4- CVSS
- 8.8High
- Weakness type
- CWE-20 · Improper Input Validation
- CVE
CVE-2023-1888
At a glance
CVE-2023-1888 is a high-severity Improper Input Validation vulnerability in the Directorist WordPress plugin, affecting versions <= 7.5.4. It carries a CVSS score of 8.8 (reachable over the network; low attack complexity; high confidentiality, integrity, availability impact). Exploitation requires an authenticated account at Subscriber level or above. The issue is fixed in version 7.5.5; sites on affected versions should update now. Disclosed June 2023, reported by Alex Thomas.
Vulnerability Overview
The Directorist plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to an arbitrary user password reset in versions up to, and including, 7.5.4. This is due to a lack of validation checks within login.php. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers, with subscriber-level permissions and above, to reset the password of an arbitrary user and gain elevated (e.g., administrator) privileges.
Technical Analysis
The vector marks this flaw as remotely reachable over the network, with low attack complexity — no special timing or configuration is needed, and no interaction from a victim user. A successful exploit has high impact on confidentiality, integrity, availability — full site compromise territory.
CWE-20: Improper Input Validation
Reaching this weakness in Directorist <= 7.5.4 takes an account at Subscriber level or above. Improper input validation means the application accepts input without confirming it has the form, type or range the code downstream assumes.
The concrete impact depends on where the unvalidated value lands, which is why records in this class range from cosmetic bugs to full compromise. For Directorist the fix is 7.5.5: builds <= 7.5.4 are affected, anything from 7.5.5 onward is not.
Remediation
Update to version 7.5.5, or a newer patched version
How does WordSec protect against this?
An attacker needs Subscriber access first, so the firewall sees the attempt as traffic from a logged-in account: WordSec's web application firewall inspects request payloads before WordPress loads them. None of that substitutes for the fix: Directorist 7.5.5 closes this, and updating the plugin is the step that ends it.
- Firewall
- Alerts
External References
Related records
Other vulnerabilities in Directorist: AI-Powered Business Directory, Listings & Classified Ads
- 8.8CVE-2022-3930: Directorist IDOR to Arbitrary User Password Change
CVE-2022-3930 - 8.8CVE-2021-24981: Directorist <= 7.0.6.1 CSRF to Arbitrary File Upload
CVE-2021-24981 - 8.1CVE-2025-10488: Directorist Arbitrary File Move
CVE-2025-10488 - 8.1CVE-2025-1570: Directorist Privilege Escalation and Account Takeover
CVE-2025-1570 - 7.5CVE-2026-59518: Directorist PHP Object Injection
CVE-2026-59518 - 7.5CVE-2022-2376: Directorist <= 7.3.0 Sensitive Information Disclosure
CVE-2022-2376 - 7.2CVE-2023-2252: Directorist <= 7.5.3 Local File Inclusion
CVE-2023-2252 - 7.2CVE-2022-2046: Directorist <= 7.2.2 Arbitrary File Upload
CVE-2022-2046
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