CVE-2023-53909VulnerabilityPublished 17 Dec 2025Updated 30 Dec 2025

CVE-2023-53909: WBCE CMS · Cross-site Scripting

Affects WBCE CMSSource CVE Database V5

Not known to be exploited · CVSS 5.1 Medium.

Data as of 26 Oct 2026, 06:26 UTC

CVSS 4.0 base score

5.1Medium

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

EPSS: 0.3% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 25% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.

CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:P/VC:L/VI:L/VA:N/SC:L/SI:L/SA:N

Attack Vector: Network
Attack Complexity: Low
Attack Requirements: None
Privileges Required: Low
User Interaction: Passive
Vulnerable system confidentiality: Low
Vulnerable system integrity: Low
Vulnerable system availability: None
Subsequent system confidentiality: Low
Subsequent system integrity: Low
Subsequent system availability: None

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

Attack Vector: Network: The vulnerable system is bound to the network stack and the set of possible attackers extends beyond the other options listed below, 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: The attacker must take no measurable action to exploit the vulnerability. The attack requires no target-specific circumvention to exploit the vulnerability. An attacker can expect repeatable success against the vulnerable system.
Attack Requirements: None: The successful attack does not depend on the deployment and execution conditions of the vulnerable system. The attacker can expect to be able to reach the vulnerability and execute the exploit under all or most instances of the vulnerability.
Privileges Required: Low: The attacker requires privileges that provide basic capabilities that are typically limited to settings and resources owned by a single low-privileged user. Alternatively, an attacker with Low privileges has the ability to access only non-sensitive resources.
User Interaction: Passive: Successful exploitation of this vulnerability requires limited interaction by the targeted user with the vulnerable system and the attacker’s payload. These interactions would be considered involuntary and do not require that the user actively subvert protections built into the vulnerable system.
Vulnerable system confidentiality: Low: There is some loss of confidentiality. Access to some restricted information is obtained, but the attacker does not have control over what information is obtained, or the amount or kind of loss is limited. The information disclosure does not cause a direct, serious loss to the Vulnerable System.
Vulnerable system 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 to the Vulnerable System.
Vulnerable system availability: None: There is no impact to availability within the Vulnerable System.
Subsequent system confidentiality: Low: There is some loss of confidentiality. Access to some restricted information is obtained, but the attacker does not have control over what information is obtained, or the amount or kind of loss is limited. The information disclosure does not cause a direct, serious loss to the Subsequent System.
Subsequent system 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 to the Subsequent System.
Subsequent system availability: None: There is no impact to availability within the Subsequent System or all availability impact is constrained to the Vulnerable System.

Definitions: FIRST CVSS v4.0 specification.

Exploitation evidence

Disclosed: evidence found.
CVE published 17 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 2026-10-26.

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 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

Affected software

Product	Affected	Fixed in
wbce-cms WBCE CMS	Affected =1.6.1	Fixed in–

AI-suggested

European organizations should take the following specific actions to mitigate CVE-2023-53909: 1) Immediately restrict or disable SVG file uploads in the WBCE CMS media manager until a patch is available. 2) Implement strict input validation and sanitization on uploaded SVG files, removing or disallowing <script> tags and other executable content. 3) Limit media upload permissions to only trusted, necessary users to reduce the attack surface. 4) Monitor uploaded media files for suspicious content, using automated scanning tools capable of detecting embedded scripts in SVGs. 5) Educate users to avoid opening or interacting with untrusted SVG files hosted on the CMS. 6) Regularly review and update WBCE CMS to the latest secure version once a patch addressing this vulnerability is released. 7) Employ Content Security Policy (CSP) headers to restrict script execution origins and reduce the impact of potential XSS payloads. 8) Conduct periodic security audits and penetration tests focusing on file upload functionalities. These measures go beyond generic advice by focusing on controlling SVG uploads, user permissions, and proactive content inspection.

Description

WBCE CMS 1.6.1 contains a stored cross-site scripting vulnerability that allows authenticated attackers to inject malicious JavaScript by uploading crafted SVG files through the media manager. Attackers can upload SVG files containing script tags to the /wbce/modules/elfinder/ef/php/connector.wbce.php endpoint and execute JavaScript when victims access the uploaded file.

Impact

For European organizations using WBCE CMS 1.6.1, this vulnerability poses a moderate risk. Exploitation could allow attackers to execute malicious scripts in the browsers of users who access uploaded SVG files, potentially leading to session hijacking, unauthorized actions, or data theft. This is particularly concerning for organizations with multiple authenticated users who have media upload privileges or where uploaded media is publicly accessible. The impact on confidentiality and integrity is partial but can be leveraged for further attacks such as privilege escalation or lateral movement within the CMS environment. Availability is not directly affected. Given the medium CVSS score and the requirement for attacker authentication, the threat is more relevant in internal or semi-trusted environments rather than fully public-facing sites. However, organizations that do not restrict SVG uploads or lack monitoring of uploaded content are at higher risk. The absence of known exploits in the wild reduces immediate urgency but does not eliminate the risk of future exploitation.

References

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Exploitation evidence

What to do

Affected software

Description

AI analysisMachine-generated, updated 1 Jan 2026, 22:27 UTC

Technical details

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