iThemes Security < 5.3.1 - Insecure Backup/Logfile Generation

2016-04-21 00:00

Strategic Overview

Status: Patched in 5.3.1
Affected Plugin: Kadence Security – Password, Two Factor Authentication, and Brute Force Protection
Affected Version: < 5.3.1
CVSS: 5.3Medium
Weakness type: CWE-200 · Exposure of Sensitive Information to an Unauthorized Actor
CVE: CVE pending

View all Kadence Security – Password, Two Factor Authentication, and Brute Force Protection vulnerabilities

At a glance

This record tracks a medium-severity Exposure of Sensitive Information to an Unauthorized Actor vulnerability in the Kadence Security WordPress plugin, affecting versions < 5.3.1. It carries a CVSS score of 5.3 (reachable over the network; low attack complexity). Exploitation requires no authentication. The issue is fixed in version 5.3.1; sites on affected versions should update now. Disclosed April 2016, reported by Nicolas Chatelain (Sysdream Labs).

Vulnerability Overview

The iThemes Security plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to insecure backup and logfile generation in versions up to, and including, 5.3.0. This is due to backup and logfiles being created in a world-readable directory. This makes it possible for unauthenticated attackers to view backup and log files.

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.

CWE-200: Exposure of Sensitive Information to an Unauthorized Actor

Reaching this weakness in Kadence Security < 5.3.1 takes a caller who can reach the endpoint. Sensitive information exposure means data the application intended to keep internal is returned to a caller who should not be able to see it.

The disclosed data — credentials, tokens, customer records or internal paths — is usually worth more as material for a follow-up attack than as an end in itself. For Kadence Security the fix is 5.3.1: builds < 5.3.1 are affected, anything from 5.3.1 onward is not.

Remediation

Update to version 5.3.1, or a newer patched version

How does WordSec protect against this?

The fix is the thing that ends this: Kadence Security 5.3.1 closes this, and updating the plugin is the step that ends it.

Alerts

External References

https://www.wordfence.com/threat-intel/vulnerabilities/id/32d0f709-192a-4d9f-bfe9-15c1be4c4b95

Related records

Other vulnerabilities in Kadence Security – Password, Two Factor Authentication, and Brute Force Protection

CVSS Vector

5.3

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:N

Base

Attack VectorNetwork
Attack ComplexityLow
Privileges RequiredNone
User InteractionNone
ScopeUnchanged
ConfidentialityLow
IntegrityNone
AvailabilityNone

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