Catch Web Tools <= 2.7.0 - Missing Authorization

2022-01-24 00:00
Jan w Oleju

Strategic Overview

Status
Patched in 2.7.1
Affected Plugin
Catch Web Tools
Affected Version
<= 2.7.0
CVSS
5.4Medium
Weakness type
CWE-862 · Missing Authorization
CVE
CVE pending
View all Catch Web Tools vulnerabilities

At a glance

This record tracks a medium-severity Missing Authorization vulnerability in the Catch Web Tools WordPress plugin, affecting versions <= 2.7.0. It carries a CVSS score of 5.4 (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 2.7.1; sites on affected versions should update now. Disclosed January 2022, reported by Jan w Oleju.

Vulnerability Overview

The Catch Web Tools plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to authorization bypass due to a missing capability check on the catchwebtools_catchids_switch AJAX action in versions up to, and including, 2.7.0. This makes it possible for subscriber-level attackers to active or deactivate catch IDs.

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

Reaching this weakness in Catch Web Tools <= 2.7.0 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 Catch Web Tools the fix is 2.7.1: builds <= 2.7.0 are affected, anything from 2.7.1 onward is not.

Remediation

Update to version 2.7.1, 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: Catch Web Tools 2.7.1 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/63bced7f-89ec-4c52-9e58-63ef2d311b31

Related records

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