CVE-2023-6582 is a medium-severity vulnerability affecting the ElementsKit Elementor addons plugin for WordPress, specifically versions up to and including 3.0.3. The vulnerability arises from improper access control (CWE-284) in the ekit_widgetarea_content function, which allows unauthenticated attackers to access sensitive information. Specifically, attackers can retrieve the contents of WordPress posts that are in draft, private, or pending review status—posts that are normally not visible to the public. This exposure is limited to posts created using the Elementor page builder. The vulnerability does not require any authentication or user interaction, and can be exploited remotely over the network. The CVSS 3.1 base score is 5.3, reflecting a medium severity level, with the vector indicating network attack vector (AV:N), low attack complexity (AC:L), no privileges required (PR:N), no user interaction (UI:N), unchanged scope (S:U), and impact limited to confidentiality (C:L) without affecting integrity or availability. No known exploits have been reported in the wild as of the publication date (January 11, 2024), and no official patches have been linked yet. The vulnerability is significant because it exposes potentially sensitive unpublished or restricted content, which could include confidential business information, internal communications, or pre-release marketing materials, thereby undermining confidentiality and potentially damaging organizational reputation or competitive advantage.

For European organizations using WordPress with the ElementsKit Elementor addons plugin, this vulnerability poses a risk of unauthorized disclosure of sensitive unpublished content. This could lead to leakage of intellectual property, internal strategies, or personal data if such information is stored in draft or private posts. Organizations in sectors such as media, finance, government, and technology, which often use WordPress for content management and may rely on Elementor for page design, could be particularly impacted. The exposure of draft or private posts could also violate data protection regulations like the GDPR if personal data is inadvertently disclosed, leading to regulatory penalties and reputational harm. Additionally, the breach of confidentiality could facilitate further targeted attacks or social engineering campaigns. Since exploitation requires no authentication and can be performed remotely, the attack surface is broad, increasing the likelihood of opportunistic scanning and data harvesting by malicious actors.

European organizations should immediately audit their WordPress installations to identify the presence of the ElementsKit Elementor addons plugin and verify the version in use. Until an official patch is released, organizations should consider disabling or removing the plugin to prevent exploitation. If disabling is not feasible, restrict access to the WordPress REST API endpoints or widget areas exposed by the plugin through web application firewalls (WAFs) or server-level access controls to limit unauthenticated access. Additionally, review and minimize the amount of sensitive content stored in draft, private, or pending review posts, and implement strict content access policies. Monitoring web server logs for unusual access patterns targeting Elementor-related endpoints can help detect exploitation attempts. Organizations should subscribe to vendor advisories and CVE databases for updates on patches or mitigations. Finally, ensure that WordPress core and all plugins are regularly updated to reduce exposure to known vulnerabilities.