CVE-2023-0890

Shortcodes Ultimate <= 5.12.7 - Authenticated (Subscriber+) Arbitrary Post Access via Shortcode

2023-02-27 00:00
Erwan LR

Strategic Overview

Status
Patched in 5.12.8
Affected Plugin
Shortcodes Ultimate – Content Elements
Affected Version
<= 5.12.7
CVSS
4.3Medium
Weakness type
CWE-639 · Authorization Bypass Through User-Controlled Key
CVE
CVE-2023-0890
View all Shortcodes Ultimate – Content Elements vulnerabilities

At a glance

CVE-2023-0890 is a medium-severity Authorization Bypass Through User-Controlled Key vulnerability in the Shortcodes Ultimate WordPress plugin, affecting versions <= 5.12.7. It carries a CVSS score of 4.3 (reachable over the network; low attack complexity). Exploitation requires an authenticated account at Subscriber level or above. The issue is fixed in version 5.12.8; sites on affected versions should update now. Disclosed February 2023, reported by Erwan LR.

Vulnerability Overview

The Shortcodes Ultimate plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to unauthorized access of data due to missing authorization controls in a plugin's shortcode in versions up to, and including, 5.12.7. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers with subscriber-level permissions and above to read arbitrary posts.

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-639: Authorization Bypass Through User-Controlled Key

Reaching this weakness in Shortcodes Ultimate <= 5.12.7 takes an account at Subscriber level or above. Authorization bypass through a user-controlled key, often called insecure direct object reference, means the application looks up a record by an identifier from the request without checking that the caller owns it.

Changing a number in the request is enough to read or modify other users' records, which on commerce and membership sites means customer data. For Shortcodes Ultimate the fix is 5.12.8: builds <= 5.12.7 are affected, anything from 5.12.8 onward is not.

Remediation

Update to version 5.12.8, 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: Shortcodes Ultimate 5.12.8 closes this, and updating the plugin is the step that ends it.

  • Login Security
  • Alerts

External References

https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2023-0890https://www.wordfence.com/threat-intel/vulnerabilities/id/2eddfe94-7232-4d3d-9f3a-f53fc476a012https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-0890

Related records

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