CVE-2021-24851

Insert Pages <= 3.6.1 - Contributor+ Arbitrary Posts/Pages Access

2021-10-18 00:00

Strategic Overview

Status: Patched in 3.7.0
Affected Plugin: Insert Pages
Affected Version: <= 3.6.1
CVSS: 4.3Medium
Weakness type: CWE-863 · Incorrect Authorization
CVE: CVE-2021-24851

At a glance

CVE-2021-24851 is a medium-severity Incorrect Authorization vulnerability in the Insert Pages WordPress plugin, affecting versions <= 3.6.1. It carries a CVSS score of 4.3 (reachable over the network; low attack complexity). The issue is fixed in version 3.7.0; sites on affected versions should update now. Disclosed October 2021, reported by Francesco Carlucci.

Vulnerability Overview

The Insert Pages WordPress plugin before 3.7.0 allows users with a role as low as Contributor to access content and metadata from arbitrary posts/pages regardless of their author and status (ie private), using a shortcode. Password protected posts/pages are not affected by such issue.

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-863: Incorrect Authorization

Reaching this weakness in Insert Pages <= 3.6.1 takes a caller who can reach the endpoint. Incorrect authorization means a permission check exists but evaluates the wrong thing, so it passes for callers it was meant to stop.

The action runs for users the code intended to exclude, with the same effect as having no check at all. For Insert Pages the fix is 3.7.0: builds <= 3.6.1 are affected, anything from 3.7.0 onward is not.

Remediation

Update to version 3.7.0, 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: Insert Pages 3.7.0 closes this, and updating the plugin is the step that ends it.

Login Security
Alerts

External References

https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2021-24851 https://www.wordfence.com/threat-intel/vulnerabilities/id/1ee47f62-93f5-40ed-8c1d-555a21eb714a https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2021-24851

Related records

Other vulnerabilities in Insert Pages

CVSS Vector

4.3

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

Base

Attack VectorNetwork
Attack ComplexityLow
Privileges RequiredLow
User InteractionNone
ScopeUnchanged
ConfidentialityLow
IntegrityNone
AvailabilityNone

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