CVE-2023-41688

Bulk NoIndex & NoFollow Toolkit <= 1.5 - Missing Authorization

2023-09-04 00:00
Skalucy

Strategic Overview

Status
Patched in 1.51
Affected Plugin
Bulk NoIndex & NoFollow Toolkit
Affected Version
<= 1.5
CVSS
4.3Medium
Weakness type
CWE-862 · Missing Authorization
CVE
CVE-2023-41688
View all Bulk NoIndex & NoFollow Toolkit vulnerabilities

At a glance

CVE-2023-41688 is a medium-severity Missing Authorization vulnerability in the Bulk NoIndex & NoFollow Toolkit WordPress plugin, affecting versions <= 1.5. It carries a CVSS score of 4.3 (reachable over the network; low attack complexity). The root cause is a missing authorization check on a reachable function. The issue is fixed in version 1.51; sites on affected versions should update now. Disclosed September 2023, reported by Skalucy.

Vulnerability Overview

The Bulk NoIndex & NoFollow Toolkit plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to unauthorized modification of data due to a missing capability check on the update_page_callback() and update_page_bulk_callback() functions called via AJAX actions in versions up to, and including, 1.5. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers, with subscriber-level access and above, to update post and page's noindex and nofollow statuses.

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-862: Missing Authorization

Bulk NoIndex & NoFollow Toolkit <= 1.5 carries this weakness at update_page_callback(), and reaching it takes a caller who can reach the endpoint. A missing authorization check means a function is reachable by anyone who can reach the endpoint, because the code never asks whether the caller is allowed to perform the action.

Any user who can reach the endpoint gets to run an action reserved for higher-privileged roles, from reading protected data to changing settings or content. For Bulk NoIndex & NoFollow Toolkit the fix is 1.51: builds <= 1.5 are affected, anything from 1.51 onward is not.

Remediation

Update to version 1.51, 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: Bulk NoIndex & NoFollow Toolkit 1.51 closes this, and updating the plugin is the step that ends it.

  • Login Security
  • Alerts

External References

https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2023-41688https://www.wordfence.com/threat-intel/vulnerabilities/id/5cb79fbc-705a-4fb4-b441-7fe7ab6dea10https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-41688

Related records

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