CVE•Published 2024-02-05•Modified 2026-04-08•1 article on news•6 live references•NVD data

CVE-2023-6989Getshieldsecurity · Shield_security

Vulnerability data via NVD (ingested)

CVSS v3.1

9.8

CRITICAL

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

EPSS percentile

Exploit Prediction Scoring System · top 1% of all CVEs

Weaknesses (CWE)

CWE-98Improper Control of Filename for Include/Require Statement in PHP Program ('PHP Remote File Inclusion')CWE-22Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal')

Description

The Shield Security – Smart Bot Blocking & Intrusion Prevention Security plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Local File Inclusion in all versions up to, and including, 18.5.9 via the render_action_template parameter. This makes it possible for unauthenticated attacker to include and execute PHP files on the server, allowing the execution of any PHP code in those files.

Timeline

Published 2024-02-05

Modified 2026-04-08

External references

NVD MITRE Exploit-DB GitHub PoC trickest/cve VulnCheck

Search for exposed instances

Shodan + Censys queries derived from NVD's CPE data. The vuln tag catches assets Shodan has explicitly linked to this CVE; the product / banner fingerprints find exposed instances even when the vuln tag was never applied (which is common).

Shodan · vuln tag0 hosts

vuln:CVE-2023-6989

Hosts Shodan has explicitly fingerprinted as vulnerable.

Shodan · WP plugin path

http.html:"/wp-content/plugins/shield-security/"

Matches any site loading the "shield-security" plugin — doesn't rely on Shodan's vuln tag.

Shodan · product

product:"Getshieldsecurity Shield Security"

All exposed Getshieldsecurity Shield Security instances — cross-reference with the CVE's affected-version range.

Shodan · banner/body mention

http.html:"Shield Security"

HTTP body or banner mentions "Shield Security" — catches deploys Shodan didn't identify as a product.