CVE-2023-0619

Kraken.io Image Optimizer <= 2.6.9 - Missing Authorization to Authenticated (Subscriber+) Plugin Options Update

2023-02-01 00:00
Marco Wotschka

Strategic Overview

At a glance

CVE-2023-0619 is a medium-severity Missing Authorization vulnerability in the Kraken.io Image Optimizer WordPress plugin, affecting versions <= 2.6.9. It carries a CVSS score of 6.5 (reachable over the network; low attack complexity; high integrity impact). Exploitation requires an authenticated account at Subscriber level or above. The issue is fixed in version 2.7.0; sites on affected versions should update now. Disclosed February 2023, reported by Marco Wotschka.

Vulnerability Overview

The Kraken.io Image Optimizer plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to authorization bypass due to a missing capability check on its AJAX actions in versions up to, and including, 2.6.9. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers, with subscriber-level permissions and above, to reset image optimizations.

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-862: Missing Authorization

Reaching this weakness in Kraken.io Image Optimizer <= 2.6.9 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 Kraken.io Image Optimizer the fix is 2.7.0: builds <= 2.6.9 are affected, anything from 2.7.0 onward is not.

Remediation

Update to version 2.7.0, 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: Kraken.io Image Optimizer 2.7.0 closes this, and updating the plugin is the step that ends it.

  • Login Security
  • Alerts

External References

Related records

Other vulnerabilities in Kraken.io Image Optimizer – Compress, Convert to WebP & AVIF, Resize & Bulk Optimize

Vulnerability data © Defiant, Inc., provided under the Wordfence Intelligence T&C