The Missing Authorization vulnerability in the websoudan MW WP Form plugin for WordPress allows attackers to exploit incorrectly configured access control security levels. This can lead to unauthorized actions being performed by malicious users. The vulnerability is identified as CVE-2023-46206 and impacts MW WP Form versions up to 4.4.5. In this post, we will explore the technical details of this vulnerability, how it can be exploited, and recommended mitigation strategies.

Vulnerability Details

The MW WP Form is a popular plugin for WordPress used for creating web forms. In versions up to 4.4.5, the plugin suffers from a Missing Authorization vulnerability due to incorrectly configured access control security levels. By exploiting this issue, attackers can perform unauthorized actions such as exporting user data or sending emails using the plugin's features and functionality.

Below is a code snippet that illustrates how a user's role is incorrectly checked for authorization

function is_allowed( $target = '' ) {
    $capability = self::get_manage_capability();

    if ( empty( $target ) ) {
        return current_user_can( $capability );
    }

    return current_user_can( $capability, $target );
}

As seen in the code snippet, the check for user capabilities is insufficient to provide proper authorization control. It relies only on the default WordPress user capability check, leaving the plugin vulnerable to exploitation.

Exploit Description

An attacker can leverage this vulnerability to export user data and send emails without having proper authorization. By sending specially crafted POST requests to a vulnerable site, the attacker can download a CSV file that contains user-submitted form data.

Here is an example of an exploit using a simple POST request via the curl command line utility

curl -d "action=mwwpform_export_data&counts=start:&counts=end:100" -X POST https://vulnerable-site.com/wp-admin/admin-ajax.php

In this example, the payloads action, counts:start, and counts:end are sent in the POST request to trigger the vulnerability. This will cause the user data to be exported as a CSV file, bypassing any authorization or access control checks.

Mitigation and Recommendations

To protect against this vulnerability, website administrators using the MW WP Form plugin should take the following steps:

1. Upgrade MW WP Form to the latest version (4.4.6 or later) which addresses this security issue. The plugin can be updated through the WordPress plugin page by going to MW WP Form on WordPress.org.
2. Follow Principle of Least Privilege when assigning roles and capabilities. Restrict access to crucial plugin features like exporting user data to trusted users only.
3. Implement proper access controls, including supplemental plugins or custom code, to ensure that only authorized users can access sensitive information and features.
4. Regularly monitor and audit your website and plugins for potential vulnerabilities and security issues.

Original References

The original security advisory and references for this vulnerability can be found at the following links:

- CVE Entry: CVE-2023-46206
- WPScan Vulnerability Database: CVE-2023-46206

Conclusion

In this post, we discussed the Missing Authorization vulnerability in the websoudan MW WP Form plugin for WordPress, identified as CVE-2023-46206. This vulnerability affects versions up to 4.4.5, and it can be exploited by attackers to perform unauthorized actions such as exporting user data or sending emails. We examined the technical details of this vulnerability, how it can be exploited, and recommended steps to mitigate the risk. It is essential to stay up-to-date on security issues like this to protect website users and their data.

Timeline

Published on: 01/02/2025 12:15:11 UTC