Page Builder: KingComposer < 2.9.4 - Authorization Bypass due to Improper Access Control
Strategic Overview
- Status
- Patched in 2.9.4
- Affected Version
<= 2.9.3- CVSS
- 8.8High
- Weakness type
- CWE-284 · Improper Access Control
- CVE
CVE-2020-36700
At a glance
CVE-2020-36700 is a high-severity Improper Access Control vulnerability in the Page Builder: KingComposer WordPress plugin, affecting versions <= 2.9.3. It carries a CVSS score of 8.8 (reachable over the network; low attack complexity; high confidentiality, integrity, availability impact). The issue is fixed in version 2.9.4; sites on affected versions should update now. Disclosed June 2020, reported by Jerome Bruandet.
Vulnerability Overview
The Page Builder: KingComposer plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to authorization bypass in versions up to, and including, 2.9.3. This is due to a security nonce being leaked in the '/wp-admin/index.php' page. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers to change arbitrary WordPress options, delete arbitrary files/folders, and inject arbitrary content.
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 confidentiality, integrity, availability — full site compromise territory.
CWE-284: Improper Access Control
Reaching this weakness in Page Builder: KingComposer <= 2.9.3 takes a caller who can reach the endpoint. Improper access control means the code decides what a caller may do using something other than their actual permissions, so the decision can be wrong without any check appearing to be missing.
Whoever can shape the request decides the answer, so the protected action runs for callers the code never meant to allow. For Page Builder: KingComposer the fix is 2.9.4: builds <= 2.9.3 are affected, anything from 2.9.4 onward is not.
Remediation
Update to version 2.9.4, 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: Page Builder: KingComposer 2.9.4 closes this, and updating the plugin is the step that ends it.
- Login Security
- Alerts
External References
Related records
Other vulnerabilities in Page Builder: KingComposer – Free Drag and Drop page builder by King-Theme
- 8.8CVE-2022-0165: Page Builder KingComposer <= 2.9.6 Open Redirect
CVE-2022-0165 - 8.8CVE-2020-36701: Page Builder: KingComposer Arbitrary File Upload
CVE-2020-36701 - 8.5CVE-2021-25048: Page Builder KingComposer Arbitrary Profile Creation
CVE-2021-25048 - 6.4Page Builder: KingComposer < 2.8.2 Stored Cross-Site Scripting
- 6.1CVE-2020-15299: Page Builder: KingComposer Reflected XSS
CVE-2020-15299 - 6.1CVE-2019-9910: KingComposer <= 2.8 Reflected Cross-Site Scripting
CVE-2019-9910 - 5.5CVE-2020-36709: Page Builder: KingComposer < 2.9.4 Stored XSS
CVE-2020-36709
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