CVE-2024-32689

WP Social Comments <= 1.7.3 - Missing Authorization via wpfc_allow_comments()

2024-04-17 00:00

Strategic Overview

Status: Patched in 1.7.4
Affected Plugin: WP Social Comments
Affected Version: <= 1.7.3
CVSS: 4.3Medium
Weakness type: CWE-862 · Missing Authorization
CVE: CVE-2024-32689

View all WP Social Comments vulnerabilities

At a glance

CVE-2024-32689 is a medium-severity Missing Authorization vulnerability in the WP Social Comments WordPress plugin, affecting versions <= 1.7.3. 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 1.7.4; sites on affected versions should update now. Disclosed April 2024, reported by Friday.

Vulnerability Overview

The WP Social Comments plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to unauthorized modification of data due to a missing capability check on the wpfc_allow_comments() function in all versions up to, and including, 1.7.3. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers, with subscriber-level access and above, to turn on comments for posts.

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

WP Social Comments <= 1.7.3 carries this weakness at wpfc_allow_comments(), 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 WP Social Comments the fix is 1.7.4: builds <= 1.7.3 are affected, anything from 1.7.4 onward is not.

Remediation

Update to version 1.7.4, 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: WP Social Comments 1.7.4 closes this, and updating the plugin is the step that ends it.

Login Security
Alerts

External References

https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2024-32689 https://www.wordfence.com/threat-intel/vulnerabilities/id/ba2ff1ab-f981-417d-b400-13750c9320ad https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2024-32689

Related records

Same weakness class

4.3WP Social Comments Authenticated (Subscriber+) Settings Change

CVSS Vector

4.3

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:N

Base

Attack VectorNetwork
Attack ComplexityLow
Privileges RequiredLow
User InteractionNone
ScopeUnchanged
ConfidentialityNone
IntegrityLow
AvailabilityNone

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