iThemes Security <= 5.3.5 - Missing Capabilities Check

2016-04-25 00:00
Julio Potier

Strategic Overview

Status
Patched in 5.3.6
Affected Plugin
Kadence Security – Password, Two Factor Authentication, and Brute Force Protection
Affected Version
< 5.3.6
CVSS
7.4High
Weakness type
CWE-284 · Improper Access Control
CVE
CVE pending
View all Kadence Security – Password, Two Factor Authentication, and Brute Force Protection vulnerabilities

At a glance

This record tracks a high-severity Improper Access Control vulnerability in the Kadence Security WordPress plugin, affecting versions < 5.3.6. It carries a CVSS score of 7.4 (reachable over the network; low attack complexity). The issue is fixed in version 5.3.6; sites on affected versions should update now. Disclosed April 2016, reported by Julio Potier.

Vulnerability Overview

The iThemes Security plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to authorization bypass due to a missing capability check on the wp_ajax_itsec_file_change_warning_ajax function in versions up to, and including, 5.3.5. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers to perform administrative actions.

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.

CWE-284: Improper Access Control

Reaching this weakness in Kadence Security < 5.3.6 takes a caller who can reach the endpoint. Improper access control means the code decides what a caller may do using something other than their actual permissions, so the decision can be wrong without any check appearing to be missing.

Whoever can shape the request decides the answer, so the protected action runs for callers the code never meant to allow. For Kadence Security the fix is 5.3.6: builds < 5.3.6 are affected, anything from 5.3.6 onward is not.

Remediation

Update to version 5.3.6, 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: Kadence Security 5.3.6 closes this, and updating the plugin is the step that ends it.

  • Login Security
  • Alerts

External References

https://www.wordfence.com/threat-intel/vulnerabilities/id/246eea09-abe5-41e9-811e-5cddedbbe01e

Related records

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