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PatchSiren cyber security CVE debrief

CVE-2017-5492 Wordpress CVE debrief

CVE-2017-5492 is a cross-site request forgery issue in WordPress widget-editing accessibility mode. A remote attacker could trick an authenticated victim into submitting a widgets-access request without consent, potentially changing widget settings in the victim's session. WordPress addressed the issue in version 4.7.1.

Vendor
Wordpress
Product
CVE-2017-5492
CVSS
HIGH 8.8
CISA KEV
Not listed in stored evidence
Original CVE published
2017-01-15
Original CVE updated
2026-05-13
Advisory published
2017-01-15
Advisory updated
2026-05-13

Who should care

WordPress site owners, administrators, and anyone managing wp-admin access on installations running WordPress 4.7 or earlier should treat this as relevant. It matters most where privileged users can be induced to follow attacker-controlled links or otherwise load forged requests while logged in.

Technical summary

NVD classifies the issue as CWE-352 and lists affected WordPress versions through 4.7. The vulnerable path involves the widget-editing accessibility-mode flow in wp-admin/includes/class-wp-screen.php and wp-admin/widgets.php. Because the request is processed in an authenticated admin context, the attack depends on user interaction (CVSS vector includes UI:R) but can still impact confidentiality, integrity, and availability at high severity.

Defensive priority

High

Recommended defensive actions

  • Upgrade WordPress to 4.7.1 or later as the primary remediation.
  • Verify all sites and test environments are not running WordPress 4.7 or earlier.
  • Review any admin-side customizations or automation that interact with widget management for proper CSRF protections.
  • Limit access to privileged WordPress accounts to only users who need widget administration.
  • Monitor for unexpected widget configuration changes in administrative activity logs after upgrading.

Evidence notes

The NVD record identifies the weakness as CWE-352 and lists vulnerable WordPress versions ending at 4.7 with CVSS 3.0 vector AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H. WordPress release notes for 4.7.1 and the linked core commit show the vendor fix, while the WordPress security announcement confirms the remediation path.

Official resources

The CVE was published on 2017-01-15. WordPress references tie the fix to the 4.7.1 security and maintenance release and its corresponding core patch. The NVD record was later updated on 2026-05-13, which is record maintenance rather than a