CVE-2021-4368

Frontend File Manager <= 18.2 - Authenticated Settings Change leading to Arbitrary File Upload

2021-07-12 00:00
Jerome Bruandet

Strategic Overview

Status
Patched in 18.3
Affected Plugin
Frontend File Manager Plugin
Affected Version
< 18.3
CVSS
9.9Critical
Weakness type
CWE-862 · Missing Authorization
CVE
CVE-2021-4368
View all Frontend File Manager Plugin vulnerabilities

At a glance

CVE-2021-4368 is a critical-severity Missing Authorization vulnerability in the Frontend File Manager Plugin WordPress plugin, affecting versions < 18.3. It carries a CVSS score of 9.9 (reachable over the network; low attack complexity; high confidentiality, integrity, availability impact). Exploitation requires an authenticated account. The issue is fixed in version 18.3; sites on affected versions should update now. Disclosed July 2021, reported by Jerome Bruandet.

Vulnerability Overview

The Frontend File Manager plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Authenticated Settings Change in versions up to, and including, 18.2. This is due to lacking capability checks and a security nonce, all on the wpfm_save_settings AJAX action. This makes it possible for subscriber-level attackers to edit the plugin settings, such as the allowed upload file types. This can lead to remote code execution through other vulnerabilities.

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. A successful exploit has high impact on confidentiality, integrity, availability — full site compromise territory.

CWE-862: Missing Authorization

Reaching this weakness in Frontend File Manager Plugin < 18.3 takes any authenticated account. 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 Frontend File Manager Plugin the fix is 18.3: builds < 18.3 are affected, anything from 18.3 onward is not.

Remediation

Update to version 18.3, 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: Frontend File Manager Plugin 18.3 closes this, and updating the plugin is the step that ends it.

  • Login Security
  • Alerts

External References

https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2021-4368https://www.wordfence.com/threat-intel/vulnerabilities/id/adb1d8b0-b1d6-40df-b591-f1062ee744fbhttps://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2021-4368

Related records

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