CVE-2024-22284

Asgaros Forum <= 2.7.2 - Unauthenticated PHP Object Injection in prepare_unread_status

2024-01-16 00:00
Le Ngoc Anh

Strategic Overview

Status
Patched in 2.8.0
Affected Plugin
Asgaros Forum
Affected Version
<= 2.7.2
CVSS
9.8Critical
Weakness type
CWE-502 · Deserialization of Untrusted Data
CVE
CVE-2024-22284
View all Asgaros Forum vulnerabilities

At a glance

CVE-2024-22284 is a critical-severity Deserialization of Untrusted Data vulnerability in the Asgaros Forum WordPress plugin, affecting versions <= 2.7.2. It carries a CVSS score of 9.8 (reachable over the network; low attack complexity; high confidentiality, integrity, availability impact). Exploitation requires no authentication. The issue is fixed in version 2.8.0; sites on affected versions should update now. Disclosed January 2024, reported by Le Ngoc Anh.

Vulnerability Overview

The Asgaros Forum plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to PHP Object Injection in all versions up to, and including, 2.7.2 via deserialization of untrusted input in the prepare_unread_status function. This makes it possible for unauthenticated attackers to inject a PHP Object. If a POP chain is present via an additional plugin or theme installed on the target system, it could allow the attacker to delete arbitrary files, retrieve sensitive data, or execute code.

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. A successful exploit has high impact on confidentiality, integrity, availability — full site compromise territory.

CWE-502: Deserialization of Untrusted Data

Reaching this weakness in Asgaros Forum <= 2.7.2 takes no account at all. Deserialization of untrusted data means the application reconstructs objects from input a caller controls, letting the attacker choose which classes get instantiated and what their properties hold.

A workable chain turns deserialization into file writes, deletions or code execution, depending on what the loaded classes do in their magic methods. For Asgaros Forum the fix is 2.8.0: builds <= 2.7.2 are affected, anything from 2.8.0 onward is not.

Remediation

Update to version 2.8.0, or a newer patched version

How does WordSec protect against this?

Requests carrying this pattern arrive without a session, so nothing upstream of the firewall gets a chance to reject them: WordSec's web application firewall inspects request payloads before WordPress loads them. Classes like this one can leave something behind, so the staged malware scanner is the second half: it looks for dropped files and modified code rather than for the request that created them. None of that substitutes for the fix: Asgaros Forum 2.8.0 closes this, and updating the plugin is the step that ends it.

  • Firewall
  • Scanner
  • Login Security

External References

https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2024-22284https://www.wordfence.com/threat-intel/vulnerabilities/id/02b75034-8db1-465b-837e-014e2c2e8b4dhttps://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2024-22284

Related records

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