VulnerabilityPublished 29 Dec 2025

CVE-2023-32238: TheGem (Elementor) (WordPress plugin) · Improper Access Control

Affects TheGem (Elementor) (WordPress plugin)Source CVE Database V5

Not known to be exploited · CVSS 5.4 Medium : upgrade to 5.8.1.1 when convenient.

Data as of 26 Oct 2026, 10:12 UTC

CVSS 3.1 base score

5.4Medium

How severe the flaw is on the 0–10 CVSS scale.

EPSS: 0.2% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 9% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.
Patch: Available – fixed in 5.8.1.1

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:L

Attack Vector: Network
Attack Complexity: Low
Privileges Required: Low
User Interaction: None
Scope: Unchanged
Confidentiality: None
Integrity: Low
Availability: Low

Bold values are the worst case: easiest to exploit or largest impact.

Attack Vector: Network: The vulnerable component is bound to the network stack and the set of possible attackers extends beyond the other options listed, up to and including the entire Internet. Such a vulnerability is often termed 'remotely exploitable' and can be thought of as an attack being exploitable at the protocol level one or more network hops away (e.g., across one or more routers).
Attack Complexity: Low: Specialized access conditions or extenuating circumstances do not exist. An attacker can expect repeatable success against the vulnerable component.
Privileges Required: Low: The attacker is authorized with (i.e., requires) privileges that provide basic user capabilities that could normally affect only settings and files owned by a user. Alternatively, an attacker with Low privileges may have the ability to cause an impact only to non-sensitive resources.
User Interaction: None: The vulnerable system can be exploited without any interaction from any user.
Scope: Unchanged: An exploited vulnerability can only affect resources managed by the same security authority. In this case, the vulnerable component and the impacted component are either the same, or both are managed by the same security authority.
Confidentiality: None: There is no loss of confidentiality within the impacted component.
Integrity: Low: Modification of data is possible, but the attacker does not have control over the consequence of a modification, or the amount of modification is limited. The data modification does not have a direct, serious impact on the impacted component.
Availability: Low: Performance is reduced or there are interruptions in resource availability. Even if repeated exploitation of the vulnerability is possible, the attacker does not have the ability to completely deny service to legitimate users. The resources in the impacted component are either partially available all of the time, or fully available only some of the time, but overall there is no direct, serious consequence to the impacted component.

Definitions: FIRST CVSS v3.1 specification.

Exploitation evidence

Disclosed: evidence found.
CVE published 29 Dec 2025
Detectable: no evidence on record.
No public nuclei template indexed
Weaponised: no evidence on record.
No public exploit code indexed in Metasploit or Exploit-DB
Exploited in the wildExploited: no evidence on record.
Not in CISA KEV and no source reports exploitation
Observed by OffSeq MirageSeen by Mirage: no evidence on record.
No attack traffic recorded by OffSeq Mirage sensors

A missing step is not evidence of safety. Sources: cve.org (opens in a new tab), the Metasploit, Exploit-DB and nuclei-templates index as of 26 Oct 2026.

Disclosed: The CVE record is public on cve.org. Its publication is t = 0.
Detectable: A public nuclei template can find exposed instances, for defenders and attackers alike.
Weaponised: Public exploit code exists in Metasploit or Exploit-DB, or CISA SSVC or the CVSS exploit maturity reports a public proof of concept.
Exploited in the wild: CISA KEV lists it, CISA SSVC rates exploitation active, or a source reports attacks.
Observed by OffSeq Mirage: OffSeq Mirage honeypot sensors recorded attack traffic for this CVE, or found exposed hosts without attack traffic.

Moments are spaced evenly, not to scale; a dashed line marks a gap of six months or more. Deltas count from t = 0. Sources that give only a date (CISA KEV, Exploit-DB, or a time of exactly 00:00Z) read “same day” rather than hours. Metasploit modules carry the flaw’s disclosure date, not their release date, and nuclei templates carry no date, so both appear above but not on the timeline.

What to do

Upgrade TheGem (Elementor) (WordPress plugin) to 5.8.1.1.

Affected software

Product	Affected	Fixed in
CodexThemes TheGem (Elementor)	Affected <5.8.1.1	Fixed in 5.8.1.1

AI-suggested

Monitor CodexThemes official channels and Patchstack advisories for the release of a security patch addressing CVE-2023-32238 and apply updates to TheGem themes (Elementor and WPBakery versions) promptly once available.
Restrict administrative and editor-level access to trusted personnel only, implementing the principle of least privilege to reduce the risk of exploitation by low-privileged users.
Harden WordPress installations by disabling unnecessary plugins and themes, and regularly auditing user roles and permissions to detect and remove unauthorized accounts.
Employ Web Application Firewalls (WAF) with custom rules to detect and block suspicious requests targeting TheGem theme functionalities.
Enable detailed logging and continuous monitoring of WordPress admin activities to identify anomalous behavior indicative of exploitation attempts.
Conduct regular security assessments and penetration testing focusing on WordPress themes and page builder integrations to uncover similar authorization weaknesses.
Educate site administrators on the risks of privilege misuse and the importance of strong authentication mechanisms, including multi-factor authentication (MFA).
Isolate critical WordPress instances in segmented network zones to limit potential lateral movement in case of compromise.

Description

Vulnerability in CodexThemes TheGem (Elementor), CodexThemes TheGem (WPBakery).This issue affects TheGem (Elementor): from n/a before 5.8.1.1; TheGem (WPBakery): from n/a before 5.8.1.1.

Impact

For European organizations, the impact of CVE-2023-32238 can be significant, especially for those relying on WordPress websites using TheGem themes with Elementor or WPBakery. The vulnerability allows attackers with low-level privileges to alter website content or disrupt availability, potentially leading to defacement, data integrity issues, or denial of service conditions. This can damage brand reputation, reduce customer trust, and cause operational downtime. Since WordPress powers a large portion of European websites, including e-commerce, government portals, and corporate sites, the risk extends to critical sectors. The requirement for some privileges limits exploitation to insiders or compromised accounts, but the lack of user interaction and network accessibility increases the threat surface. The absence of known exploits currently reduces immediate risk but does not eliminate the possibility of future attacks. Organizations in sectors with high regulatory scrutiny, such as finance, healthcare, and public administration, may face compliance and legal consequences if affected. The medium severity rating suggests moderate urgency but highlights the need for proactive mitigation to prevent escalation.

CWE-284Improper Access Control (opens in a new tab)
Pillar weaknessCWE Top 25 (2025): #19OWASP Top 10 A01:2025: Broken Access Control (opens in a new tab)
The product does not restrict or incorrectly restricts access to a resource from an unauthorized actor.
MITRE discourages mapping vulnerabilities to this broad entry; the root cause is usually a more specific weakness.
Architecture and Design · Operation
Very carefully manage the setting, management, and handling of privileges. Explicitly manage trust zones in the software.
Architecture and Design · Separation of Privilege
Compartmentalize the system to have "safe" areas where trust boundaries can be unambiguously drawn. Do not allow sensitive data to go outside of the trust boundary and always be careful when interfacing with a compartment outside of the safe area.
OWASP Cheat Sheets
Docker Security (opens in a new tab)
Third Party Javascript Management (opens in a new tab)
Virtual Patching (opens in a new tab)
Authorization (opens in a new tab)
OWASP ASVS 4.0.3
V1.4.4 (opens in a new tab)
V1.4.5 (opens in a new tab)
V1.10.1 (opens in a new tab)
Attack patterns
Embedding Scripts within Scripts (opens in a new tab)
Modification of Windows Service Configuration (opens in a new tab)
Malicious Root Certificate (opens in a new tab)
Intent Spoof (opens in a new tab)
WebView Exposure (opens in a new tab)
From MITRE CWE, MITRE CAPEC and OWASP (Top 10, OpenCRE).

References

vdp.patchstack.com/database/wordpress/theme/thegem-elementor/vulnerability/wordpress-thegem-elementor-theme-5-7-2-broken-access-control-vulnerability?_s_id=cve (opens in a new tab)

Community reviews

Loading reviews…

Exploitation evidence

What to do

Affected software

Description

AI analysisMachine-generated, updated 30 Dec 2025, 22:42 UTC

WeaknessesCWE-284

Technical details

References

Community reviews

Related threats