If you’re using the Responsive Image Gallery or Gallery Album WordPress plugin by wpdevart (versions up to 2..3), a missing authorization check lets attackers bypass security and potentially access, modify or even delete image galleries on your site—without needing an admin account. In this post, I’ll break down in simple words how the vulnerability works, share code snippets, and point to further resources. If you’re using this plugin, make sure to update or apply protective measures.

What’s the Deal With CVE-2023-45631?

WordPress plugins are notorious for vulnerabilities when not coded securely. In CVE-2023-45631, the plugin “Responsive Image Gallery, Gallery Album” failed to check if a visitor is allowed to perform certain actions—like viewing or changing the gallery content. This is known as a missing authorization or access control vulnerability.

> Affected Versions:
> All versions up to and including 2..3

How Does the Exploit Work?

The plugin registers AJAX actions for operations like uploading, deleting, or updating images. But these actions either don’t check if the user is logged in, or they fail to verify proper capability. That means *anyone* (even visitors not logged in), can send the right request and perform restricted actions.

Attack Scenario:
Let’s say an attacker visits your site. They craft a special HTTP POST request directly to admin-ajax.php with data that tells your site to delete a gallery image. Because authorization isn’t checked, WordPress runs the action.

Proof-of-Concept Exploit

Below is a simple *proof-of-concept* using curl. Replace your-site.com and gallery_id as needed.

curl -X POST "https://your-site.com/wp-admin/admin-ajax.php"; \
  -d 'action=wpdevart_gallery_delete' \
  -d 'id=1'

This would delete the item with ID 1.
No authentication cookies required.
No admin privileges checked!

More complex attacks can upload files, list galleries, or alter metadata depending on what AJAX actions the plugin exposes.

In the plugin’s PHP code (simplified here), the handler looks something like this

add_action( 'wp_ajax_wpdevart_gallery_delete', 'wpdevart_gallery_delete_callback' );
add_action( 'wp_ajax_nopriv_wpdevart_gallery_delete', 'wpdevart_gallery_delete_callback' );

function wpdevart_gallery_delete_callback() {
    $id = $_POST['id'];
    // Missing: capability check!
    wp_delete_post( $id );
    echo json_encode(['success' => true]);
    wp_die();
}

Upload Malicious Files (in some plugin versions)

- Access/Change Private Images

In some cases, chained with other vulnerabilities, this might lead to site takeover.

How to Protect Your Site

1. Update the Plugin:
Check for updates. If no patch is available, consider disabling/uninstalling until one is.

2. Restrict AJAX endpoints:
Install a security plugin or WAF (Web Application Firewall) that blocks unauthorized admin-ajax.php calls from non-logged-in users.

3. Code Hotfix:

If you must patch it yourself, add a capability check at the start of each handler

if ( ! current_user_can('manage_options') ) {
    wp_send_json_error('Unauthorized');
    wp_die();
}

References & More Reading

- NVD listing for CVE-2023-45631
- Wordfence Advisory on Gallery Plugin Vulnerabilities
- wpdevart Responsive Image Gallery Plugin Page

Closing Thoughts

It’s easy to overlook how WordPress plugins handle security behind the scenes, but every missing check can open the door for attackers. If you run a WordPress site, regularly audit your plugins and keep them updated. For developers, always add capability checks to any sensitive Ajax handler.

Stay safe, patch often, and keep an eye on vulnerability feeds!


*Post written exclusively for you by AI. Please share it as a cautionary tale to other WordPress site owners!*

Timeline

Published on: 01/02/2025 12:15:09 UTC