CVE-2021-24816

Phoenix Media Rename <= 3.4.2 - Author Arbitrary Media File Renaming

2021-10-06 00:00

Strategic Overview

Status: Patched in 3.4.4
Affected Plugin: Phoenix Media Rename
Affected Version: <= 3.4.2
CVSS: 4.3Medium
Weakness type: CWE-284 · Improper Access Control
CVE: CVE-2021-24816

View all Phoenix Media Rename vulnerabilities

At a glance

CVE-2021-24816 is a medium-severity Improper Access Control vulnerability in the Phoenix Media Rename WordPress plugin, affecting versions <= 3.4.2. It carries a CVSS score of 4.3 (reachable over the network; low attack complexity). The issue is fixed in version 3.4.4; sites on affected versions should update now. Disclosed October 2021, reported by apple502j.

Vulnerability Overview

The Phoenix Media Rename WordPress plugin before 3.4.4 does not have capability checks in its phoenix_media_rename AJAX action, which could allow users with Author roles to rename any uploaded media files, including ones they do not own.

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-284: Improper Access Control

Reaching this weakness in Phoenix Media Rename <= 3.4.2 takes a caller who can reach the endpoint. Improper access control means the code decides what a caller may do using something other than their actual permissions, so the decision can be wrong without any check appearing to be missing.

Whoever can shape the request decides the answer, so the protected action runs for callers the code never meant to allow. For Phoenix Media Rename the fix is 3.4.4: builds <= 3.4.2 are affected, anything from 3.4.4 onward is not.

Remediation

Update to version 3.4.4, 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: Phoenix Media Rename 3.4.4 closes this, and updating the plugin is the step that ends it.

Login Security
Alerts

External References

https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2021-24816 https://www.wordfence.com/threat-intel/vulnerabilities/id/d75d0f16-015b-49cd-a0d1-41e007fc7398 https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2021-24816

CVSS Vector

4.3

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

Base

Attack VectorNetwork
Attack ComplexityLow
Privileges RequiredLow
User InteractionNone
ScopeUnchanged
ConfidentialityNone
IntegrityLow
AvailabilityNone

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