We will explain the practical workflow—from the public disclosure of a WordPress plugin’s CVE to identifying the scope of impact within the company and implementing emergency measures.
What is a CVE?
CVE (Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures) refers to a common identification number assigned to software vulnerabilities.
The format is “CVE-Year-Sequence Number” (e.g., CVE-2024-12345). It is managed by the U.S. nonprofit organization MITRE and is used as a global standard. CVEs are also assigned a CVSS score on a 10-point scale based on the severity of the vulnerability.
A CVSS score of 8 or higher indicates a serious vulnerability, as described below, and is considered a vulnerability that should be addressed immediately as a top priority.
What a score of 8 or higher means
・The attack is often relatively easy to execute.
・It can often be executed by anyone without any special conditions.
・The impact is severe.
・Arbitrary code may be executed on the server.
・Database contents may be extracted or tampered with.
・Arbitrary file upload: A backdoor (an unauthorized entry point) may be installed on the server.
*You can check for vulnerabilities in WordPress plugins with CVSS scores here. You can also check for vulnerabilities using security plugins.
Steps to Address Vulnerabilities
Standalone vulnerabilities that lead to website defacement—a common target for hackers—often have a CVSS score of 7 or higher.
Since hackers indiscriminately target WordPress sites with vulnerabilities, leaving a major vulnerability unaddressed increases the likelihood— over time —that your site will be compromised through that vulnerability, resulting in the most severe type of hacking attack.
If you discover that a plugin or other component used in WordPress has a vulnerability, it is important to take the following steps as soon as possible.
1. Check whether an update addressing the vulnerability is available for the plugin.
* If no update is available, proceed to step 4.
2. If an update is available, create a test site or use an existing test site to verify the plugin update.
Since updating WordPress plugins and other components can sometimes cause issues on your site, it is safer to first apply the update on a test site and verify its functionality there before updating the live site.
3. Apply the update to the live environment to fix the vulnerability.
When a vulnerability is discovered, the developer is notified.The developer may release an update to patch the vulnerability. In this case, simply applying the update resolves the issue.
4. If no update is available
Development may have already ended, and vulnerability patches may not have been released for a long time. Alternatively, WordPress may have suspended downloads of the plugin itself due to security concerns.
In such cases, if the vulnerability is severe, we will take the following measures:
・After investigating the plugin’s usage, if it is not in use or is used only to a limited extent, and deactivating it poses no issues, we will deactivate and delete the plugin.
*Note: Since vulnerabilities can sometimes be exploited simply by the plugin’s code existing on the server, please ensure that the plugin is not only deactivated but also deleted.
・If disabling the plugin is difficult due to site functionality, either switch to an alternative plugin or patch the vulnerability directly by modifying the program code.
*If you use an alternative plugin, you may need to replace elements such as theme code or site shortcodes. Additionally, patching the vulnerability directly may require developing a patch specific to that vulnerability.
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