Simple 301 Redirects 2.0.0 - 2.0.3 - Authenticated Arbitrary Plugin Installation
Strategic Overview
- Status
- Patched in 2.0.4
- Affected Plugin
- Simple 301 Redirects By BetterLinks – Easy WordPress Redirect Manager for Redirects, 404 Error Log & More
- Affected Version
2.0.0 – 2.0.3- CVSS
- 8.8High
- Weakness type
- CWE-862 · Missing Authorization
- CVE
CVE-2021-24354
At a glance
CVE-2021-24354 is a high-severity Missing Authorization vulnerability in the Simple 301 Redirects By BetterLinks WordPress plugin, affecting versions 2.0.0 – 2.0.3. It carries a CVSS score of 8.8 (reachable over the network; low attack complexity; high confidentiality, integrity, availability impact). Exploitation requires an authenticated account. The issue is fixed in version 2.0.4; sites on affected versions should update now. Disclosed May 2021, reported by Chloe Chamberland.
Vulnerability Overview
A lack of capability checks and insufficient nonce check on the AJAX action in the Simple 301 Redirects by BetterLinks WordPress plugin before 2.0.4, made it possible for authenticated users to install arbitrary plugins on vulnerable sites.
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. A successful exploit has high impact on confidentiality, integrity, availability — full site compromise territory.
CWE-862: Missing Authorization
Reaching this weakness in Simple 301 Redirects By BetterLinks 2.0.0 – 2.0.3 takes any authenticated account. 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 Simple 301 Redirects By BetterLinks the fix is 2.0.4: builds 2.0.0 – 2.0.3 are affected, anything from 2.0.4 onward is not.
Remediation
Update to version 2.0.4, 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: Simple 301 Redirects By BetterLinks 2.0.4 closes this, and updating the plugin is the step that ends it.
- Login Security
- Alerts
External References
Related records
Same weakness class
Other vulnerabilities in Simple 301 Redirects By BetterLinks – Easy WordPress Redirect Manager for Redirects, 404 Error Log & More
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