AccessPress Themes and Plugin <= Various Versions - Missing Authorization to Arbitrary Plugin Deactivation/Activation
Strategic Overview
- Status
- Patched in 1.0.7
- Affected Plugin
- Access Demo Importer
- Affected Version
<= 1.0.6- CVSS
- 8.8High
- Weakness type
- CWE-862 · Missing Authorization
- CVE
CVE-2022-23975
At a glance
CVE-2022-23975 is a high-severity Missing Authorization vulnerability in the Access Demo Importer WordPress plugin, affecting versions <= 1.0.6. It carries a CVSS score of 8.8 (reachable over the network; low attack complexity; high confidentiality, integrity, availability impact). The root cause is a missing authorization check on a reachable function. The issue is fixed in version 1.0.7; sites on affected versions should update now. Disclosed January 2022, reported by R3N0.
Vulnerability Overview
A WordPress plugin and several WordPress themes developed by AccessPress Themes are vulnerable to unauthorized plugin deactivation and activation via the plugin_activation_callback and plugin_deactivate_callback functions called via AJAX actions that were missing capability checks and nonce validation. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers, with minimal permissions such as a subscriber, to deactivate and activate arbitrary plugins. This could be used to deactivate security plugins and exploit other potential vulnerabilities.
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, integrity, availability — full site compromise territory.
CWE-862: Missing Authorization
Reaching this weakness in Access Demo Importer <= 1.0.6 takes a caller who can reach the endpoint. A missing authorization check means a function is reachable by anyone who can reach the endpoint, because the code never asks whether the caller is allowed to perform the action.
Any user who can reach the endpoint gets to run an action reserved for higher-privileged roles, from reading protected data to changing settings or content. For Access Demo Importer the fix is 1.0.7: builds <= 1.0.6 are affected, anything from 1.0.7 onward is not.
Remediation
Update to version 1.0.7, 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: Access Demo Importer 1.0.7 closes this, and updating the plugin is the step that ends it.
- Login Security
- Alerts
External References
Related records
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