CVE-2023-6971

Backup Migration 1.0.8 - 1.3.9 - Remote File Inclusion via content-dir

2023-12-22 00:00
Hiroho Shimada

Strategic Overview

Status
Patched in 1.4.0
Affected Plugin
Backup Migration
Affected Version
1.0.8 – 1.3.9
CVSS
8.1High
Weakness type
CWE-98 · Improper Control of Filename for Include/Require Statement in PHP Program ('PHP Remote File Inclusion')
CVE
CVE-2023-6971
View all Backup Migration vulnerabilities

At a glance

CVE-2023-6971 is a high-severity Improper Control of Filename for Include/Require Statement in PHP Program ('PHP Remote File Inclusion') vulnerability in the Backup Migration WordPress plugin, affecting versions 1.0.8 – 1.3.9. It carries a CVSS score of 8.1 (reachable over the network; high confidentiality, integrity, availability impact). Exploitation requires no authentication. The issue is fixed in version 1.4.0; sites on affected versions should update now. Disclosed December 2023, reported by Hiroho Shimada.

Vulnerability Overview

The Backup Migration plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Remote File Inclusion in versions 1.0.8 to 1.3.9 via the 'content-dir' HTTP header. This makes it possible for unauthenticated attackers to include remote files on the server, resulting in code execution. NOTE: Successful exploitation of this vulnerability requires that the target server's php.ini is configured with 'allow_url_include' set to 'on'. This feature is deprecated as of PHP 7.4 and is disabled by default, but can still be explicitly enabled in later versions of PHP.

Technical Analysis

The vector marks this flaw as remotely reachable over the network, 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-98: Improper Control of Filename for Include/Require Statement in PHP Program ('PHP Remote File Inclusion')

Backup Migration 1.0.8 – 1.3.9 carries this weakness at content-dir, and reaching it takes a caller who can reach the endpoint. PHP file inclusion means a path used by include or require is built from request data, so the file that gets executed is under the caller's influence.

Including an attacker-influenced file executes its contents, which is why this class is routinely chained with an upload or log-poisoning step to reach code execution. For Backup Migration the fix is 1.4.0: builds 1.0.8 – 1.3.9 are affected, anything from 1.4.0 onward is not.

Remediation

Update to version 1.4.0, or a newer patched version

How does WordSec protect against this?

The attempt arrives as an ordinary request to Backup Migration: 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: Backup Migration 1.4.0 closes this, and updating the plugin is the step that ends it.

  • Firewall
  • Scanner
  • Alerts

External References

https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2023-6971https://www.wordfence.com/threat-intel/vulnerabilities/id/b380283c-0dbb-4d67-9f66-cb7c400c0427https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-6971

Related records

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