CVE-2020-11515

Rank Math SEO <= 1.0.40.2 - Redirect Creation via Unprotected REST API Endpoint

2020-03-25 00:00
Ram

Strategic Overview

Status
Patched in 1.0.41
Affected Plugin
Rank Math SEO – AI SEO Tools to Dominate SEO Rankings
Affected Version
<= 1.0.40
CVSS
7.4High
Weakness type
CWE-288 · Authentication Bypass Using an Alternate Path or Channel
CVE
CVE-2020-11515
View all Rank Math SEO – AI SEO Tools to Dominate SEO Rankings vulnerabilities

At a glance

CVE-2020-11515 is a high-severity Authentication Bypass Using an Alternate Path or Channel vulnerability in the Rank Math SEO WordPress plugin, affecting versions <= 1.0.40. It carries a CVSS score of 7.4 (reachable over the network; low attack complexity; high availability impact). Exploitation requires no authentication. The issue is fixed in version 1.0.41; sites on affected versions should update now. Disclosed March 2020, reported by Ram.

Vulnerability Overview

The Rank Math plugin through 1.0.40.2 for WordPress allows unauthenticated remote attackers to create new URIs (that redirect to an external web site) via the unsecured rankmath/v1/updateRedirection REST API endpoint. In other words, this is not an "Open Redirect" issue; instead, it allows the attacker to create a new URI with an arbitrary name (e.g., the /exampleredirect URI).

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. A successful exploit has high impact on availability.

CWE-288: Authentication Bypass Using an Alternate Path or Channel

Reaching this weakness in Rank Math SEO <= 1.0.40 takes a caller who can reach the endpoint. Authentication bypass through an alternate path means the application has a second route to a protected action that skips the checks the primary route performs.

The protection on the main path becomes irrelevant, because the attacker simply uses the route that never asks. For Rank Math SEO the fix is 1.0.41: builds <= 1.0.40 are affected, anything from 1.0.41 onward is not.

Remediation

Update to version 1.0.41, 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: Rank Math SEO 1.0.41 closes this, and updating the plugin is the step that ends it.

  • Login Security
  • Alerts

External References

https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2020-11515https://www.wordfence.com/threat-intel/vulnerabilities/id/80dfc293-a182-4ed5-9127-6ec788312416https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2020-11515

Related records

Vulnerability data © Defiant, Inc., provided under the Wordfence Intelligence T&C