CVE-2023-5355

Awesome Support <= 6.1.4 - Authenticated (Submitter+) Arbitrary File Deletion

2023-10-16 00:00
Alex Sanford

Strategic Overview

Status
Patched in 6.1.5
Affected Plugin
Awesome Support – WordPress HelpDesk & Support Plugin
Affected Version
<= 6.1.4
CVSS
8.1High
Weakness type
CWE-22 · Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal')
CVE
CVE-2023-5355
View all Awesome Support – WordPress HelpDesk & Support Plugin vulnerabilities

At a glance

CVE-2023-5355 is a high-severity Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal') vulnerability in the Awesome Support WordPress plugin, affecting versions <= 6.1.4. It carries a CVSS score of 8.1 (reachable over the network; low attack complexity; high integrity, availability impact). Exploitation requires an authenticated account at Submitter level or above. The issue is fixed in version 6.1.5; sites on affected versions should update now. Disclosed October 2023, reported by Alex Sanford.

Vulnerability Overview

The Awesome Support – WordPress HelpDesk & Support Plugin plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to arbitrary file deletion in all versions up to, and including, 6.1.4. This is due to insufficient controls on paths being supplied when a user deletes an attachment from a ticket. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers, with ticket submitting-level access to delete arbitrary files on the site which can be used to achieve remote code execution and take over the site.

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 integrity, availability.

CWE-22: Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal')

Reaching this weakness in Awesome Support <= 6.1.4 takes an account at Submitter level or above. Path traversal happens when user-controlled text is used to build a filesystem path without being constrained to an intended directory, so sequences like ../ walk the resolved path somewhere else.

Depending on the operation, it means reading files outside the intended folder — wp-config.php being the usual target — or writing to and deleting paths the web server can touch. For Awesome Support the fix is 6.1.5: builds <= 6.1.4 are affected, anything from 6.1.5 onward is not.

Remediation

Update to version 6.1.5, or a newer patched version

How does WordSec protect against this?

An attacker needs Submitter access first, so the firewall sees the attempt as traffic from a logged-in account: WordSec's web application firewall inspects request payloads before WordPress loads them. None of that substitutes for the fix: Awesome Support 6.1.5 closes this, and updating the plugin is the step that ends it.

  • Firewall
  • Alerts

External References

https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2023-5355https://www.wordfence.com/threat-intel/vulnerabilities/id/f32cd8e4-51bf-4fdf-ae14-155f8661dbdbhttps://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-5355

Related records

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