MainWP Broken Link Checker <= 4.0 - Missing Authorization to Arbitrary Plugin Activation
Strategic Overview
- Status
- Unpatched
- Affected Plugin
- MainWP Broken Link Checker
- Affected Version
<= 4.0- CVSS
- 5.4Medium
- Weakness type
- CWE-862 · Missing Authorization
- CVE
CVE pending
At a glance
This record tracks a medium-severity Missing Authorization vulnerability in the MainWP Broken Link Checker WordPress plugin, affecting versions <= 4.0. It carries a CVSS score of 5.4 (reachable over the network; low attack complexity). The root cause is a missing authorization check on a reachable function. No fixed release has been reported yet; treat installations running this software as exposed. Disclosed January 2023, reported by Dave Jong.
Vulnerability Overview
The MainWP Broken Link Checker plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to authorization bypass in versions up to, and including 4.0 due to a missing capability check. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers, with subscriber-level permissions and above, to activate arbitrary plugins.
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
Reaching this weakness in MainWP Broken Link Checker <= 4.0 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. No fixed build of this plugin is recorded for MainWP Broken Link Checker yet, so installs running <= 4.0 stay exposed until the vendor ships one.
Remediation
No known patch available. Please review the vulnerability's details in depth and employ mitigations based on your organization's risk tolerance. It may be best to uninstall the affected software and find a replacement.
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. No patched version is recorded yet, which is the case where a filtering layer matters most, because there is nothing to update to.
- Login Security
- Alerts
External References
Related records
Other vulnerabilities in MainWP Broken Link Checker
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