iThemes Security <= 8.1.4 - Open Redirection via redirect_to_https
Strategic Overview
- Status
- Patched in 8.1.5
- Affected Version
<= 8.1.4- CVSS
- 4.7Medium
- Weakness type
- CWE-601 · URL Redirection to Untrusted Site ('Open Redirect')
- CVE
CVE-2023-28786
At a glance
CVE-2023-28786 is a medium-severity URL Redirection to Untrusted Site ('Open Redirect') vulnerability in the Kadence Security WordPress plugin, affecting versions <= 8.1.4. It carries a CVSS score of 4.7 (reachable over the network; low attack complexity). Exploitation requires no authentication. The issue is fixed in version 8.1.5; sites on affected versions should update now. Disclosed March 2023, reported by nlpro.
Vulnerability Overview
The iThemes Security plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to open redirection in versions up to, and including, 8.1.4. This is due to the use of wp_redirect instead of wp_safe_redirect in the redirect_to_https function. This makes it possible for unauthenticated attackers to arbitrarily redirect users via a forged request granted they can trick a the user 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.
CWE-601: URL Redirection to Untrusted Site ('Open Redirect')
Reaching this weakness in Kadence Security <= 8.1.4 takes a caller who can reach the endpoint. An open redirect is a page that takes a destination from the request and sends the browser there without checking that the destination belongs to the site.
A link that starts on a trusted domain finishes on an attacker's, which is what makes phishing and consent-screen abuse credible to the person clicking it. For Kadence Security the fix is 8.1.5: builds <= 8.1.4 are affected, anything from 8.1.5 onward is not.
Remediation
Update to version 8.1.5, or a newer patched version
How does WordSec protect against this?
The attempt arrives as an ordinary request to Kadence Security: WordSec's web application firewall inspects request payloads before WordPress loads them. None of that substitutes for the fix: Kadence Security 8.1.5 closes this, and updating the plugin is the step that ends it.
- Firewall
- Alerts
External References
Related records
Other vulnerabilities in Kadence Security – Password, Two Factor Authentication, and Brute Force Protection
- 8.3iThemes Security < 3.6.4 Stored Cross-Site Scripting
- 7.5CVE-2020-36176: iThemes Security <= 7.6.1 Broken Password Mechanism
CVE-2020-36176 - 7.5CVE-2018-7433: iThemes Security <= 6.9.0 Cross-Site Scripting
CVE-2018-7433 - 7.4iThemes Security <= 5.3.5 Missing Capabilities Check
- 7.2CVE-2018-12636: iThemes Security <= 7.0.2 SQL Injection
CVE-2018-12636 - 7.2Better WP Security <= 3.5.3 Stored Cross-Site Scripting
- 7.2CVE-2012-4263: iThemes Security < 3.2.5 Cross-Site Scripting
CVE-2012-4263 - 6.5iThemes Security <= 4.6.12 Stored Cross-Site Scripting
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