CVE-2023-22622
WordPress through 6.1.1 depends on unpredictable client visits to cause wp-cron.php execution and the resulting security updates, and the source code describes "the scenario where a site may not receive enough visits to execute scheduled tasks in a timely manner," but neither the installation guide nor the security guide mentions this default behavior, or alerts the user about security risks on installations with very few visits.
CVSS
- Version: 3.1
- Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:A/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
- Base score: 5.3
Exploitation probability (EPSS)
- Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days: 1.66%
- Percentile among all scored CVEs: 76
- Score date: 10/7/2026
EPSS (Exploit Prediction Scoring System, FIRST) estimates how likely a vulnerability is to be exploited in the wild within 30 days. It complements CVSS (impact) and CISA KEV (confirmed exploitation).
💥 Public exploits
Exploit code or detection templates are publicly available. This is not the same as confirmed active exploitation (KEV), but it raises the risk: patch with priority.
- Proof of concept on GitHub (unverified) · List of proofs of concept on GitHub
⚠️ GitHub proofs of concept are not verified: some are fake or contain malware. Never run them outside an isolated lab.
Affected technologies (1)
CWEs
- NVD-CWE-Other
References
- https://developer.wordpress.org/plugins/cron/
- https://github.com/WordPress/WordPress/blob/dca7b5204b5fea54e6d1774689777b359a9222ab/wp-cron.php#L5-L8
- https://medium.com/%40thecpanelguy/the-nightmare-that-is-wpcron-php-ae31c1d3ae30
- https://patchstack.com/articles/solving-unpredictable-wp-cron-problems-addressing-cve-2023-22622/
- https://wordpress.org/about/security/
- https://wordpress.org/support/article/how-to-install-wordpress/
- https://www.tenable.com/plugins/was/113449
- https://developer.wordpress.org/plugins/cron/
- https://github.com/WordPress/WordPress/blob/dca7b5204b5fea54e6d1774689777b359a9222ab/wp-cron.php#L5-L8
- https://medium.com/%40thecpanelguy/the-nightmare-that-is-wpcron-php-ae31c1d3ae30
- https://patchstack.com/articles/solving-unpredictable-wp-cron-problems-addressing-cve-2023-22622/
- https://wordpress.org/about/security/
- https://wordpress.org/support/article/how-to-install-wordpress/
- https://www.tenable.com/plugins/was/113449
Raw JSON (NVD)
Show
{
"id": "CVE-2023-22622",
"cveTags": [],
"metrics": {
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"integrityImpact": "NONE",
"userInteraction": "NONE",
"attackComplexity": "HIGH",
"availabilityImpact": "HIGH",
"privilegesRequired": "NONE",
"confidentialityImpact": "NONE"
},
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"exploitabilityScore": 1.6
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"integrityImpact": "NONE",
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"attackComplexity": "HIGH",
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"exploitabilityScore": 1.6
}
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"affected": [
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"affectedData": [
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"published": "2023-01-05T02:15:07.980",
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"source": "nvd@nist.gov",
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},
{
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}
],
"lastModified": "2026-06-17T05:35:45.610",
"configurations": [
{
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}