CVE-2014-9038

WordPress Core < 4.0.1 - Server-Side Request Forgery

2014-11-20 00:00

Strategic Overview

Status: Patched in 3.7.5
Affected Core: WordPress 4.0
Affected Version: 3.7 – 4.0 · 5 branches
CVSS: 7.7High
Weakness type: CWE-918 · Server-Side Request Forgery (SSRF)
CVE: CVE-2014-9038

At a glance

CVE-2014-9038 is a high-severity Server-Side Request Forgery (SSRF) vulnerability in the WordPress 4.0 WordPress release line, affecting 3.7 – 4.0 · 5 branches. It carries a CVSS score of 7.7 (reachable over the network; low attack complexity; high confidentiality impact). The issue is fixed in version 3.7.5; sites on affected versions should update now. Disclosed November 2014, reported by Ben Bidner.

Vulnerability Overview

wp-includes/http.php in WordPress before 3.7.5, 3.8.x before 3.8.5, 3.9.x before 3.9.3, and 4.x before 4.0.1 allows remote attackers to conduct server-side request forgery (SSRF) attacks by referring to a 127.0.0.0/8 resource.

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. A successful exploit has high impact on confidentiality.

CWE-918: Server-Side Request Forgery (SSRF)

Reaching this weakness in WordPress 4.0 3.7 – 4.0 · 5 branches takes a caller who can reach the endpoint. Server-side request forgery means the application fetches a URL supplied by the caller, turning the server into a proxy for requests the attacker could not make directly.

The request originates from inside the hosting network, which is how these flaws reach cloud metadata endpoints, internal admin panels and services that trust local traffic. For WordPress 4.0 the fix is 3.7.5: builds 3.7 – 4.0 · 5 branches are affected, anything from 3.7.5 onward is not.

Remediation

Update to one of the following versions, or a newer patched version: 3.7.5, 3.8.5, 3.9.3, 4.0.1

How does WordSec protect against this?

The attempt arrives as an ordinary request to WordPress 4.0: WordSec's web application firewall inspects request payloads before WordPress loads them. None of that substitutes for the fix: updating to 3.7.5 is the step that ends it.

Firewall
Alerts

External References

https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2014-9038 https://www.wordfence.com/threat-intel/vulnerabilities/id/2e27cfff-6763-4e54-af5d-0f4cf23e72f7 https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2014-9038

Related records

Same weakness class

Other vulnerabilities in WordPress 4.0

CVSS Vector

7.7

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

Base

Attack VectorNetwork
Attack ComplexityLow
Privileges RequiredLow
User InteractionNone
ScopeChanged
ConfidentialityHigh
IntegrityNone
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/