CVE-2011-1762

WordPress Core < 3.1.2 - Incorrect Authorization for Contributor-level users

2011-04-26 00:00

Strategic Overview

Status: Patched in 3.1.2
Affected Core: WordPress 3.1
Affected Version: <= 3.1.1
CVSS: 4.3Medium
Weakness type: CWE-284 · Improper Access Control
CVE: CVE-2011-1762

At a glance

CVE-2011-1762 is a medium-severity Improper Access Control vulnerability in the WordPress 3.1 WordPress release line, affecting <= 3.1.1. It carries a CVSS score of 4.3 (reachable over the network; low attack complexity). The issue is fixed in version 3.1.2; sites on affected versions should update now. Disclosed April 2011.

Vulnerability Overview

A flaw exists in Wordpress related to the 'wp-admin/press-this.php 'script improperly checking user permissions when publishing posts. This may allow a user with 'Contributor-level' privileges to post as if they had 'publish_posts' permission.

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-284: Improper Access Control

WordPress 3.1 <= 3.1.1 carries this weakness at Contributor-level, and reaching it takes a caller who can reach the endpoint. Improper access control means the code decides what a caller may do using something other than their actual permissions, so the decision can be wrong without any check appearing to be missing.

Whoever can shape the request decides the answer, so the protected action runs for callers the code never meant to allow. For WordPress 3.1 the fix is 3.1.2: builds <= 3.1.1 are affected, anything from 3.1.2 onward is not.

Remediation

Update to version 3.1.2, 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 3.1.2 is the step that ends it.

Login Security
Alerts

External References

https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2011-1762 https://www.wordfence.com/threat-intel/vulnerabilities/id/c248606f-2d79-46c1-8975-e111b9118ceb https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2011-1762

Related records

Same weakness class

Other vulnerabilities in WordPress 3.1

CVSS Vector

4.3

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

Base

Attack VectorNetwork
Attack ComplexityLow
Privileges RequiredLow
User InteractionNone
ScopeUnchanged
ConfidentialityNone
IntegrityLow
AvailabilityNone

This record contains material that is subject to copyright

CVE Usage: MITRE hereby grants you a perpetual, worldwide, non-exclusive, no-charge, royalty-free, irrevocable copyright license to reproduce, prepare derivative works of, publicly display, publicly perform, sublicense, and distribute Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVE®). Any copy you make for such purposes is authorized provided that you reproduce MITRE's copyright designation and this license in any such copy.

https://www.cve.org/Legal/TermsOfUse

Defiant hereby grants you a perpetual, worldwide, non-exclusive, no-charge, royalty-free, irrevocable copyright license to reproduce, prepare derivative works of, publicly display, publicly perform, sublicense, and distribute this software vulnerability information. Any copy of the software vulnerability information you make for such purposes is authorized provided that you include a hyperlink to this vulnerability record and reproduce Defiant's copyright designation and this license in any such copy.

https://www.wordfence.com/wordfence-intelligence-terms-and-conditions/