CVE-2021-4373

Better Search <= 2.5.2 - Cross-Site Request Forgery to Settings Import

2021-03-01 00:00
Jerome Bruandet

Strategic Overview

Status
Patched in 2.5.3
Affected Plugin
Better Search – Relevant search results for WordPress
Affected Version
< 2.5.3
CVSS
8.8High
Weakness type
CWE-288 · Authentication Bypass Using an Alternate Path or Channel
CVE
CVE-2021-4373
View all Better Search – Relevant search results for WordPress vulnerabilities

At a glance

CVE-2021-4373 is a high-severity Authentication Bypass Using an Alternate Path or Channel vulnerability in the Better Search WordPress plugin, affecting versions < 2.5.3. It carries a CVSS score of 8.8 (reachable over the network; low attack complexity; high confidentiality, integrity, availability impact). Exploitation requires no authentication. The issue is fixed in version 2.5.3; sites on affected versions should update now. Disclosed March 2021, reported by Jerome Bruandet.

Vulnerability Overview

The Better Search plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Cross-Site Request Forgery in versions up to, and including, 2.5.2. This makes it possible for unauthenticated attackers to import settings via forged request granted they can trick a site administrator into performing an action such as clicking on a link.

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

CWE-288: Authentication Bypass Using an Alternate Path or Channel

Reaching this weakness in Better Search < 2.5.3 takes a caller who can reach the endpoint. Authentication bypass through an alternate path means the application has a second route to a protected action that skips the checks the primary route performs.

The protection on the main path becomes irrelevant, because the attacker simply uses the route that never asks. For Better Search the fix is 2.5.3: builds < 2.5.3 are affected, anything from 2.5.3 onward is not.

Remediation

Update to version 2.5.3, 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: Better Search 2.5.3 closes this, and updating the plugin is the step that ends it.

  • Login Security
  • Alerts

External References

https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2021-4373https://www.wordfence.com/threat-intel/vulnerabilities/id/cfc6c595-dad2-4abc-8187-ed72355273b8https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2021-4373

Related records

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