Wordpress Core < 5.5 - Unauthorized Password Reset via Interception

2017-05-03 00:00
Dawid Golunski

Strategic Overview

Status
Patched in 5.5
Affected CoreWordPress 5.5
Affected Version< 5.5
CVSS5.9Medium
CVECVE-2017-8295
View all WordPress 5.5 vulnerabilities

Vulnerability Overview

WordPress up to version 5.5 relies on the Host HTTP header for a password-reset e-mail message, which makes it easier for remote attackers to reset arbitrary passwords by making a crafted wp-login.php?action=lostpassword request and then arranging for this message to bounce or be resent, leading to transmission of the reset key to a mailbox on an attacker-controlled SMTP server. This is related to problematic use of the SERVER_NAME variable in wp-includes/pluggable.php in conjunction with the PHP mail function. Exploitation is not achievable in all cases because it requires at least one of the following: (1) the attacker can prevent the victim from receiving any e-mail messages for an extended period of time (such as 5 days), (2) the victim's e-mail system sends an autoresponse containing the original message, or (3) the victim manually composes a reply containing the original message.

Technical Analysis

REMEDIATION: Update to version 5.5, or a newer patched version --- IDENTIFIER: CWE-640 (Weak Password Recovery Mechanism for Forgotten Password) The product contains a mechanism for users to recover or change their passwords without knowing the original password, but the mechanism is weak.

External References

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