CVE-2014-0166

WordPress Core < 3.8.2 - Authentication Cookie Forgery

2014-04-08 00:00

Strategic Overview

Status: Patched in 3.7.2
Affected Core: WordPress 3.8
Affected Version: 3.7 – 3.8.1 · 3 branches
CVSS: 6.5Medium
Weakness type: CWE-287 · Improper Authentication
CVE: CVE-2014-0166

At a glance

CVE-2014-0166 is a medium-severity Improper Authentication vulnerability in the WordPress 3.8 WordPress release line, affecting 3.7 – 3.8.1 · 3 branches. It carries a CVSS score of 6.5 (reachable over the network; low attack complexity). Exploitation requires no authentication. The issue is fixed in version 3.7.2; sites on affected versions should update now. Disclosed April 2014, reported by Jon Cave.

Vulnerability Overview

The wp_validate_auth_cookie function in wp-includes/pluggable.php in WordPress before 3.7.2 and 3.8.x before 3.8.2 does not properly determine the validity of authentication cookies, which makes it easier for remote attackers to obtain access via a forged cookie.

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 privileges on the target site, and no interaction from a victim user.

CWE-287: Improper Authentication

Reaching this weakness in WordPress 3.8 3.7 – 3.8.1 · 3 branches takes a caller who can reach the endpoint. Improper authentication means the mechanism that proves who a caller is can be satisfied without the secret it was supposed to require.

An attacker authenticates as another user — administrators included — without ever knowing a password, so password policies and login rate limits never come into play. For WordPress 3.8 the fix is 3.7.2: builds 3.7 – 3.8.1 · 3 branches are affected, anything from 3.7.2 onward is not.

Remediation

Update to one of the following versions, or a newer patched version: 3.7.2, 3.8.2

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 3.7.2 is the step that ends it.

Login Security
Alerts

External References

https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2014-0166 https://www.wordfence.com/threat-intel/vulnerabilities/id/a973dd0a-1a36-4ea2-a300-0f8bb277dfaa https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2014-0166

Related records

Other vulnerabilities in WordPress 3.8

CVSS Vector

6.5

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

Base

Attack VectorNetwork
Attack ComplexityLow
Privileges RequiredNone
User InteractionNone
ScopeUnchanged
ConfidentialityLow
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/