CVE-2015-1375

Pixabay Images <= 2.0 - Authentication Bypass to Arbitrary File Upload

2015-01-19 00:00

Strategic Overview

Status: Patched in 2.4
Affected Plugin: Pixabay Images
Affected Version: <= 2.0
CVSS: 9.8Critical
Weakness type: CWE-862 · Missing Authorization
CVE: CVE-2015-1375

At a glance

CVE-2015-1375 is a critical-severity Missing Authorization vulnerability in the Pixabay Images WordPress plugin, affecting versions <= 2.0. It carries a CVSS score of 9.8 (reachable over the network; low attack complexity; high confidentiality, integrity, availability impact). Exploitation requires no authentication. The issue is fixed in version 2.4; sites on affected versions should update now. Disclosed January 2015, reported by Mogwai, IT-Sicherheitsberatung Munich.

Vulnerability Overview

pixabay-images.php in the Pixabay Images plugin before 2.4 for WordPress does not properly restrict access to the upload functionality, which allows remote attackers to write to arbitrary files.

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, 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 Pixabay Images <= 2.0 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 Pixabay Images the fix is 2.4: builds <= 2.0 are affected, anything from 2.4 onward is not.

Remediation

Update to version 2.4, 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: Pixabay Images 2.4 closes this, and updating the plugin is the step that ends it.

Login Security
Alerts

External References

https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2015-1375 https://www.wordfence.com/threat-intel/vulnerabilities/id/40a6a810-1151-49e6-bed4-2b7a572ac015 https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2015-1375

Related records

Other vulnerabilities in Pixabay Images

CVSS Vector

9.8

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

Base

Attack VectorNetwork
Attack ComplexityLow
Privileges RequiredNone
User InteractionNone
ScopeUnchanged
ConfidentialityHigh
IntegrityHigh
AvailabilityHigh

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