WordPress Core < 4.2.4 - Timing Side-Channel Attack

2015-08-04 00:00

Johannes Schmitt

Strategic Overview

Status

Patched in 3.7.10

Affected CoreWordPress 4.2

Affected Version3.7 – 4.2.3 · 7 branches

CVSS5.3Medium

CVECVE-2015-5730

View all WordPress 4.2 vulnerabilities

Vulnerability Overview

The sanitize_widget_instance function in wp-includes/class-wp-customize-widgets.php in WordPress before 4.2.4 does not use a constant-time comparison for widgets, which allows remote attackers to conduct a timing side-channel attack by measuring the delay before inequality is calculated.

Technical Analysis

REMEDIATION: Update to one of the following versions, or a newer patched version: 3.7.10, 3.8.10, 3.9.8, 4.0.7, 4.1.7, 4.2.4 --- IDENTIFIER: CWE-208 (Observable Timing Discrepancy) Two separate operations in a product require different amounts of time to complete, in a way that is observable to an actor and reveals security-relevant information about the state of the product, such as whether a particular operation was successful or not.

External References

https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2015-5730 https://www.wordfence.com/threat-intel/vulnerabilities/id/97ab2585-4178-4a5b-923f-2ce9ca44a8d7

CVSS Vector

5.3

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

Base

Attack VectorNetwork
Attack ComplexityLow
Privileges RequiredNone
User InteractionNone
ScopeUnchanged
ConfidentialityLow
IntegrityNone
AvailabilityNone

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