All in One SEO <= 2.1.5 - Missing Authorization

2014-05-31 00:00
Marc-Alexandre Montpas

Strategic Overview

Status
Patched in 2.1.6
Affected Plugin
All in One SEO – AI SEO Plugin to Boost SEO Rankings & Traffic (Schema, Local SEO, Sitemap & SEO Insights)
Affected Version
<= 2.1.5
CVSS
6.3Medium
Weakness type
CWE-862 · Missing Authorization
CVE
CVE pending
View all All in One SEO – AI SEO Plugin to Boost SEO Rankings & Traffic (Schema, Local SEO, Sitemap & SEO Insights) vulnerabilities

At a glance

This record tracks a medium-severity Missing Authorization vulnerability in the All in One SEO WordPress plugin, affecting versions <= 2.1.5. It carries a CVSS score of 6.3 (reachable over the network; low attack complexity). The root cause is a missing authorization check on a reachable function. The issue is fixed in version 2.1.6; sites on affected versions should update now. Disclosed May 2014, reported by Marc-Alexandre Montpas.

Vulnerability Overview

The All in One SEO plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to authorization bypass due to a missing capability check on the aioseop_ajax_save_meta() function in versions up to, and including, 2.1.5. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers with subscriber level permissions and above to modify some of the SEO settings of the plugin for any given post.

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.

CWE-862: Missing Authorization

All in One SEO <= 2.1.5 carries this weakness at aioseop_ajax_save_meta(), and reaching it 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 All in One SEO the fix is 2.1.6: builds <= 2.1.5 are affected, anything from 2.1.6 onward is not.

Remediation

Update to version 2.1.6, 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: All in One SEO 2.1.6 closes this, and updating the plugin is the step that ends it.

  • Login Security
  • Alerts

External References

https://www.wordfence.com/threat-intel/vulnerabilities/id/55a942b7-5d3e-4ddf-8bc3-61ff90a7fdbd

Related records

Vulnerability data © Defiant, Inc., provided under the Wordfence Intelligence T&C