Name Directory <= 1.25.4 - Unauthorized Settings Update

2022-07-15 00:00
Anonymous

Strategic Overview

Status
Patched in 1.25.5
Affected Plugin
Name Directory
Affected Version
<= 1.25.4
CVSS
6.3Medium
Weakness type
CWE-862 · Missing Authorization
CVE
CVE pending
View all Name Directory vulnerabilities

At a glance

This record tracks a medium-severity Missing Authorization vulnerability in the Name Directory WordPress plugin, affecting versions <= 1.25.4. It carries a CVSS score of 6.3 (reachable over the network; low attack complexity). The issue is fixed in version 1.25.5; sites on affected versions should update now. Disclosed July 2022.

Vulnerability Overview

The Name Directory plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to unauthorized settings update due to insufficient permissions checking on the name_directory_options() function in versions up to, and including, 1.25.4. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers with minimal permissions, such as a subscriber, to perform. a variety of actions such as importing, editing, and managing directories that can also be used to inject malicious JavaScript into web pages.

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

Name Directory <= 1.25.4 carries this weakness at name_directory_options(), and reaching it 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 Name Directory the fix is 1.25.5: builds <= 1.25.4 are affected, anything from 1.25.5 onward is not.

Remediation

Update to version 1.25.5, 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: Name Directory 1.25.5 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/a57675f0-d840-4954-b86e-a9fbc1483bc7

Related records

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