CVE-2010-5297

WordPress Core < 3.0.1 - Missing Authorization

2010-07-29 00:00

Strategic Overview

Status: Patched in 3.0.1
Affected Core: WordPress 3.0
Affected Version: < 3.0.1
CVSS: 4.7Medium
Weakness type: CWE-862 · Missing Authorization
CVE: CVE-2010-5297

At a glance

CVE-2010-5297 is a medium-severity Missing Authorization vulnerability in the WordPress 3.0 WordPress release line, affecting < 3.0.1. It carries a CVSS score of 4.7 (reachable over the network; low attack complexity). The root cause is a missing authorization check on a reachable function. The issue is fixed in version 3.0.1; sites on affected versions should update now. Disclosed July 2010.

Vulnerability Overview

WordPress before 3.0.1, when a Multisite installation is used, permanently retains the "site administrators can add users" option once changed, which might allow remote authenticated administrators to bypass intended access restrictions in opportunistic circumstances via an add action after a temporary change.

Technical Analysis

The vector marks this flaw as remotely reachable over the network, with low attack complexity — no special timing or configuration is needed, and no interaction from a victim user.

CWE-862: Missing Authorization

Reaching this weakness in WordPress 3.0 < 3.0.1 takes a caller who can reach the endpoint. A missing authorization check means a function is reachable by anyone who can reach the endpoint, because the code never asks whether the caller is allowed to perform the action.

Any user who can reach the endpoint gets to run an action reserved for higher-privileged roles, from reading protected data to changing settings or content. For WordPress 3.0 the fix is 3.0.1: builds < 3.0.1 are affected, anything from 3.0.1 onward is not.

Remediation

Update to version 3.0.1, or a newer patched version

How does WordSec protect against this?

Because it turns on account access, WordSec's login security is the relevant layer: role-based two-factor, captcha and brute-force limits raise the cost of getting the account this needs. None of that substitutes for the fix: updating to 3.0.1 is the step that ends it.

Login Security
Alerts

External References

https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2010-5297 https://www.wordfence.com/threat-intel/vulnerabilities/id/221872e2-7929-4fba-8a57-7d9fd73a76db https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2010-5297

Related records

Same weakness class

Other vulnerabilities in WordPress 3.0

CVSS Vector

4.7

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

Base

Attack VectorNetwork
Attack ComplexityLow
Privileges RequiredHigh
User InteractionNone
ScopeUnchanged
ConfidentialityLow
IntegrityLow
AvailabilityLow

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