CVE-2021-4344

Frontend File Manager <= 18.2 - Privilege Escalation

2021-07-12 00:00

Strategic Overview

Status: Patched in 18.3
Affected Plugin: Frontend File Manager Plugin
Affected Version: < 18.3
CVSS: 6.4Medium
Weakness type: CWE-285 · Improper Authorization
CVE: CVE-2021-4344

View all Frontend File Manager Plugin vulnerabilities

At a glance

CVE-2021-4344 is a medium-severity Improper Authorization vulnerability in the Frontend File Manager Plugin WordPress plugin, affecting versions < 18.3. It carries a CVSS score of 6.4 (reachable over the network; low attack complexity). 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 Privilege Escalation in versions up to, and including, 18.2. This is due to lacking mishandling the use of user IDs that is accessible by the visitor. This makes it possible for unauthenticated or authenticated attackers to access the information and privileges of other users, including 'guest users', in their own category (authenticated, or unauthenticated guests).

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-285: Improper Authorization

Reaching this weakness in Frontend File Manager Plugin < 18.3 takes a caller who can reach the endpoint. Improper authorization means a permission check exists but does not cover the case being exercised, so a caller who is allowed to do one thing is allowed to do a neighbouring thing as well.

A lower-privileged account performs an action reserved for a higher one, which on a multi-author or membership site means an ordinary user reaching administrative behaviour. 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-2021-4344 https://www.wordfence.com/threat-intel/vulnerabilities/id/28a7b2c9-5d8d-4b49-a47c-473e3288b563 https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2021-4344

Related records

Other vulnerabilities in Frontend File Manager Plugin

CVSS Vector

6.4

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

Base

Attack VectorNetwork
Attack ComplexityLow
Privileges RequiredLow
User InteractionNone
ScopeChanged
ConfidentialityLow
IntegrityLow
AvailabilityNone

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