CVE-2023-52199

ActivityPub <= 1.0.5 - Missing Authorization

2024-01-05 00:00

Strategic Overview

Status: Patched in 1.0.6
Affected Plugin: ActivityPub
Affected Version: <= 1.0.5
CVSS: 5.3Medium
Weakness type: CWE-862 · Missing Authorization
CVE: CVE-2023-52199

At a glance

CVE-2023-52199 is a medium-severity Missing Authorization vulnerability in the ActivityPub WordPress plugin, affecting versions <= 1.0.5. It carries a CVSS score of 5.3 (reachable over the network; low attack complexity). Exploitation requires no authentication. The issue is fixed in version 1.0.6; sites on affected versions should update now. Disclosed January 2024, reported by Rafie Muhammad.

Vulnerability Overview

The ActivityPub plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to unauthorized access of data due to a unsufficient authorization checks on two REST routes in versions up to, and including, 1.0.5. This makes it possible for unauthenticated attackers to call those endpoints.

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-862: Missing Authorization

Reaching this weakness in ActivityPub <= 1.0.5 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 ActivityPub the fix is 1.0.6: builds <= 1.0.5 are affected, anything from 1.0.6 onward is not.

Remediation

Update to version 1.0.6, 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: ActivityPub 1.0.6 closes this, and updating the plugin is the step that ends it.

Login Security
Alerts

External References

https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2023-52199 https://www.wordfence.com/threat-intel/vulnerabilities/id/3666a841-711d-4ecf-bb77-f2db4d5817ea https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-52199

Related records

Other vulnerabilities in ActivityPub

CVSS Vector

5.3

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

Base

Attack VectorNetwork
Attack ComplexityLow
Privileges RequiredNone
User InteractionNone
ScopeUnchanged
ConfidentialityNone
IntegrityLow
AvailabilityNone

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