Strategic Overview
- Status
- Patched in 1.9.3
- Affected Plugin
- BuddyPress Docs
- Affected Version
< 1.9.3- CVSS
- 4.3Medium
- Weakness type
- CWE-269 · Improper Privilege Management
- CVE
CVE-2017-6954
At a glance
CVE-2017-6954 is a medium-severity Improper Privilege Management vulnerability in the BuddyPress Docs WordPress plugin, affecting versions < 1.9.3. It carries a CVSS score of 4.3 (reachable over the network; low attack complexity). The issue is fixed in version 1.9.3; sites on affected versions should update now. Disclosed March 2017, reported by Ewoud Vlasselaer.
Vulnerability Overview
An issue was discovered in includes/component.php in the BuddyPress Docs plugin before 1.9.3 for WordPress. It is possible for authenticated users to edit documents of other users without proper permissions.
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-269: Improper Privilege Management
Reaching this weakness in BuddyPress Docs < 1.9.3 takes a caller who can reach the endpoint. Improper privilege management means the code lets an account end up with capabilities its role should not have.
It converts a low-privileged account into an administrative one, which makes every other restriction on the site irrelevant. For BuddyPress Docs the fix is 1.9.3: builds < 1.9.3 are affected, anything from 1.9.3 onward is not.
Remediation
Update to version 1.9.3, 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: BuddyPress Docs 1.9.3 closes this, and updating the plugin is the step that ends it.
- Login Security
- Alerts
External References
Related records
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