CVE-2022-42461

miniOrange's Google Authenticator <= 5.6.1 - Missing Authorization to Plugin Settings Change

2022-10-31 00:00
István Márton

Strategic Overview

At a glance

CVE-2022-42461 is a medium-severity Missing Authorization vulnerability in the miniOrange 2FA WordPress plugin, affecting versions <= 5.6.1. 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. The issue is fixed in version 5.6.2; sites on affected versions should update now. Disclosed October 2022, reported by István Márton.

Vulnerability Overview

The miniOrange's Google Authenticator plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to authorization bypass due to a missing capability check when changing plugin settings in versions up to, and including, 5.6.1. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers, with subscriber-level permissions and above, to change the plugin's settings.

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 miniOrange 2FA <= 5.6.1 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. For miniOrange 2FA the fix is 5.6.2: builds <= 5.6.1 are affected, anything from 5.6.2 onward is not.

Remediation

Update to version 5.6.2, 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: miniOrange 2FA 5.6.2 closes this, and updating the plugin is the step that ends it.

  • Login Security
  • Alerts

External References

Related records

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