Comments Like Dislike <= 1.2.0 - Missing Authorization to Authenticated (Subscriber+) Plugin Setting Reset
Strategic Overview
- Status
- Patched in 1.2.1
- Affected Plugin
- Comments Like Dislike
- Affected Version
<= 1.2.0- CVSS
- 4.3Medium
- Weakness type
- CWE-862 · Missing Authorization
- CVE
CVE-2023-3244
At a glance
CVE-2023-3244 is a medium-severity Missing Authorization vulnerability in the Comments Like Dislike WordPress plugin, affecting versions <= 1.2.0. It carries a CVSS score of 4.3 (reachable over the network; low attack complexity). Exploitation requires an authenticated account at Subscriber level or above. The issue is fixed in version 1.2.1; sites on affected versions should update now. Disclosed August 2023, reported by Hung Duong (henry1601).
Vulnerability Overview
The Comments Like Dislike plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to unauthorized modification of data due to a missing capability check on the restore_settings function called via an AJAX action in versions up to, and including, 1.2.0. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers with minimal permissions, such as a subscriber, to reset the plugin's settings. NOTE: this issue is was only partially patched in version 1.2.0, as the nonce is still present to subscriber-level users.
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 Comments Like Dislike <= 1.2.0 takes an account at Subscriber level or above. 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 Comments Like Dislike the fix is 1.2.1: builds <= 1.2.0 are affected, anything from 1.2.1 onward is not.
Remediation
Update to version 1.2.1, 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: Comments Like Dislike 1.2.1 closes this, and updating the plugin is the step that ends it.
- Login Security
- Alerts
External References
Related records
Other vulnerabilities in Comments Like Dislike
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