Google Authenticator <= 0.47 - Improper Authentication
Strategic Overview
- Status
- Patched in 0.48
- Affected Plugin
- Google Authenticator
- Affected Version
<= 0.47- CVSS
- 6.5Medium
- Weakness type
- CWE-287 · Improper Authentication
- CVE
CVE pending
At a glance
This record tracks a medium-severity Improper Authentication vulnerability in the Google Authenticator WordPress plugin, affecting versions <= 0.47. It carries a CVSS score of 6.5 (reachable over the network; low attack complexity; high integrity impact). The issue is fixed in version 0.48; sites on affected versions should update now. Disclosed April 2016.
Vulnerability Overview
The Google Authenticator plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to authentication bypass due to a missing capability check on the 'google-authenticator/trunk/google-authenticator.php' file in versions up to, and including, 0.47. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers to bypass 2FA when logging in with an email address and valid password.
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. A successful exploit has high impact on integrity.
CWE-287: Improper Authentication
Reaching this weakness in Google Authenticator <= 0.47 takes a caller who can reach the endpoint. Improper authentication means the mechanism that proves who a caller is can be satisfied without the secret it was supposed to require.
An attacker authenticates as another user — administrators included — without ever knowing a password, so password policies and login rate limits never come into play. For Google Authenticator the fix is 0.48: builds <= 0.47 are affected, anything from 0.48 onward is not.
Remediation
Update to version 0.48, 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: Google Authenticator 0.48 closes this, and updating the plugin is the step that ends it.
- Login Security
- Alerts
External References
Related records
Other vulnerabilities in Google Authenticator
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