MainWP Child – Securely connects sites to the MainWP WordPress Manager Dashboard < 2.0.9.2 - Authentication Bypass

2015-03-09 00:00
MICKAEL NADEAU (Sucuri)

Strategic Overview

Status
Patched in 2.0.9.2
Affected Plugin
MainWP Child – Securely Connects to the MainWP Dashboard to Manage Multiple Sites
Affected Version
< 2.0.9.2
CVSS
9.8Critical
Weakness type
CWE-288 · Authentication Bypass Using an Alternate Path or Channel
CVE
CVE pending
View all MainWP Child – Securely Connects to the MainWP Dashboard to Manage Multiple Sites vulnerabilities

At a glance

This record tracks a critical-severity Authentication Bypass Using an Alternate Path or Channel vulnerability in the MainWP Child WordPress plugin, affecting versions < 2.0.9.2. It carries a CVSS score of 9.8 (reachable over the network; low attack complexity; high confidentiality, integrity, availability impact). Exploitation requires no authentication. The issue is fixed in version 2.0.9.2; sites on affected versions should update now. Disclosed March 2015, reported by MICKAEL NADEAU (Sucuri).

Vulnerability Overview

The MainWP Child – Securely connects sites to the MainWP WordPress Manager Dashboard plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to authentication bypass in versions up to, and including, 2.0.9.1. This is due to a missing credential check within the WordPress init hook. This makes it possible for unauthenticated attackers to log in as any user, including administrator-level accounts, if the attacker knows the username.

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 privileges on the target site, and no interaction from a victim user. A successful exploit has high impact on confidentiality, integrity, availability — full site compromise territory.

CWE-288: Authentication Bypass Using an Alternate Path or Channel

Reaching this weakness in MainWP Child < 2.0.9.2 takes a caller who can reach the endpoint. Authentication bypass through an alternate path means the application has a second route to a protected action that skips the checks the primary route performs.

The protection on the main path becomes irrelevant, because the attacker simply uses the route that never asks. For MainWP Child the fix is 2.0.9.2: builds < 2.0.9.2 are affected, anything from 2.0.9.2 onward is not.

Remediation

Update to version 2.0.9.2, 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: MainWP Child 2.0.9.2 closes this, and updating the plugin is the step that ends it.

  • Login Security
  • Alerts

External References

https://www.wordfence.com/threat-intel/vulnerabilities/id/84019c69-32fd-4331-95d7-53ea1aaff616

Related records

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