CVE-2023-51507

Quiz And Survey Master <= 8.1.16 - Missing Authorization

2023-12-27 00:00

Strategic Overview

Status: Patched in 8.1.17
Affected Plugin: Quiz and Survey Master (QSM) – Quiz Maker & Survey Maker
Affected Version: <= 8.1.16
CVSS: 5.3Medium
Weakness type: CWE-862 · Missing Authorization
CVE: CVE-2023-51507

View all Quiz and Survey Master (QSM) – Quiz Maker & Survey Maker vulnerabilities

At a glance

CVE-2023-51507 is a medium-severity Missing Authorization vulnerability in the Quiz and Survey Master (QSM) WordPress plugin, affecting versions <= 8.1.16. It carries a CVSS score of 5.3 (reachable over the network; low attack complexity). Exploitation requires no authentication. The issue is fixed in version 8.1.17; sites on affected versions should update now. Disclosed December 2023, reported by Brandon James Roldan (tomorrowisnew).

Vulnerability Overview

The Quiz And Survey Master plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to unauthorized access, modification or loss of data due to a missing capability check on one of its functions in versions up to, and including, 8.1.16. This makes it possible for unauthenticated attackers to invoke this function.

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.

CWE-862: Missing Authorization

Reaching this weakness in Quiz and Survey Master (QSM) <= 8.1.16 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 Quiz and Survey Master (QSM) the fix is 8.1.17: builds <= 8.1.16 are affected, anything from 8.1.17 onward is not.

Remediation

Update to version 8.1.17, 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: Quiz and Survey Master (QSM) 8.1.17 closes this, and updating the plugin is the step that ends it.

Login Security
Alerts

External References

https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2023-51507 https://www.wordfence.com/threat-intel/vulnerabilities/id/89ee5d27-9123-4fd2-94f8-4395db5663ec https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-51507

Related records

Same weakness class

Other vulnerabilities in Quiz and Survey Master (QSM) – Quiz Maker & Survey Maker

CVSS Vector

5.3

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

Base

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

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