CVE-2019-15771

ND Shortcodes <= 5.9.1 - Unauthenticated WordPress Options Update

2019-07-31 00:00

Strategic Overview

Status: Patched in 6.0
Affected Plugin: ND Shortcodes
Affected Version: < 6.0
CVSS: 6.1Medium
Weakness type: CWE-269 · Improper Privilege Management
CVE: CVE-2019-15771

At a glance

CVE-2019-15771 is a medium-severity Improper Privilege Management vulnerability in the ND Shortcodes WordPress plugin, affecting versions < 6.0. It carries a CVSS score of 6.1 (reachable over the network; low attack complexity). Exploitation requires no authentication. The issue is fixed in version 6.0; sites on affected versions should update now. Disclosed July 2019, reported by Jerome Bruandet.

Vulnerability Overview

The ND Shortcodes plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to arbitrary options update in versions up to, and including 5.9.1, due to missing capability checks and insufficient validation of the options supplied. This makes it possible for unauthenticated attackers to update arbitrary site options that can allow them to escalate their privileges to that of an administrator which can lead to a full site takeover.

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.

CWE-269: Improper Privilege Management

Reaching this weakness in ND Shortcodes < 6.0 takes no account at all. Improper privilege management means the code lets an account end up with capabilities its role should not have.

It converts a low-privileged account into an administrative one, which makes every other restriction on the site irrelevant. For ND Shortcodes the fix is 6.0: builds < 6.0 are affected, anything from 6.0 onward is not.

Remediation

Update to version 6.0, or a newer patched version

How does WordSec protect against this?

This one needs no account at all, which puts it outside what login hardening can reach; WordSec's login security narrows the account-level paths around it, and the firewall is what inspects the request itself. None of that substitutes for the fix: ND Shortcodes 6.0 closes this, and updating the plugin is the step that ends it.

Login Security
Alerts

External References

https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2019-15771 https://www.wordfence.com/threat-intel/vulnerabilities/id/657226b4-db55-4859-8f38-65b4ace11f4a https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2019-15771

Related records

Other vulnerabilities in ND Shortcodes

CVSS Vector

6.1

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N

Base

Attack VectorNetwork
Attack ComplexityLow
Privileges RequiredNone
User InteractionRequired
ScopeChanged
ConfidentialityLow
IntegrityLow
AvailabilityNone

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