SiteGround Security <= 1.2.5 - Authorization Weakness to Authentication Bypass
Strategic Overview
- Status
- Patched in 1.2.6
- Affected Plugin
- Security Optimizer – The All-In-One Protection Plugin
- Affected Version
<= 1.2.5- CVSS
- 8.1High
- Weakness type
- CWE-285 · Improper Authorization
- CVE
CVE-2022-0993
At a glance
CVE-2022-0993 is a high-severity Improper Authorization vulnerability in the Security Optimizer WordPress plugin, affecting versions <= 1.2.5. It carries a CVSS score of 8.1 (reachable over the network; high confidentiality, integrity, availability impact). Exploitation requires no authentication. The issue is fixed in version 1.2.6; sites on affected versions should update now. Disclosed April 2022, reported by Chloe Chamberland.
Vulnerability Overview
The SiteGround Security plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to authentication bypass that allows unauthenticated users to log in as administrative users due to missing identity verification on the 2FA back-up code implementation that logs users in upon success. This affects versions up to, and including, 1.2.5.
Technical Analysis
The vector marks this flaw as remotely reachable over the network, and no privileges on the target site, and no interaction from a victim user. A successful exploit has high impact on confidentiality, integrity, availability — full site compromise territory.
CWE-285: Improper Authorization
Reaching this weakness in Security Optimizer <= 1.2.5 takes a caller who can reach the endpoint. Improper authorization means a permission check exists but does not cover the case being exercised, so a caller who is allowed to do one thing is allowed to do a neighbouring thing as well.
A lower-privileged account performs an action reserved for a higher one, which on a multi-author or membership site means an ordinary user reaching administrative behaviour. For Security Optimizer the fix is 1.2.6: builds <= 1.2.5 are affected, anything from 1.2.6 onward is not.
Remediation
Update to version 1.2.6, or a newer patched version
How does WordSec protect against this?
Because it turns on account access, WordSec's login security is the relevant layer: role-based two-factor, captcha and brute-force limits raise the cost of getting the account this needs. None of that substitutes for the fix: Security Optimizer 1.2.6 closes this, and updating the plugin is the step that ends it.
- Login Security
- Alerts
External References
Related records
Other vulnerabilities in Security Optimizer – The All-In-One Protection Plugin
- 9.8CVE-2022-0992: SiteGround Security <= 1.2.5 Authentication Bypass
CVE-2022-0992 - 7.2CVE-2023-0234: SiteGround Security <= 1.3.0 SQL Injection
CVE-2023-0234 - 5.3CVE-2026-82228: Security Optimizer 2-Factor Authentication Bypass
CVE-2026-82228 - 5.3CVE-2026-13342: Security Optimizer IP Allowlist Bypass
CVE-2026-13342 - 5.3CVE-2025-66121: SiteGround Security <= 1.5.8 Missing Authorization
CVE-2025-66121 - 4.3CVE-2024-38774: Security Optimizer Missing Authorization
CVE-2024-38774
Vulnerability data © Defiant, Inc., provided under the Wordfence Intelligence T&C