Code Embed <= 2.3.6 - Authenticated(Contributor+) Denial of Service
Strategic Overview
- Status
- Patched in 2.3.7
- Affected Plugin
- Code Embed
- Affected Version
<= 2.3.6- CVSS
- 6.5Medium
- Weakness type
- CWE-400 · Uncontrolled Resource Consumption
- CVE
CVE-2023-49837
At a glance
CVE-2023-49837 is a medium-severity Uncontrolled Resource Consumption vulnerability in the Code Embed WordPress plugin, affecting versions <= 2.3.6. It carries a CVSS score of 6.5 (reachable over the network; low attack complexity; high availability impact). Exploitation requires an authenticated account at Contributor level or above. The issue is fixed in version 2.3.7; sites on affected versions should update now. Disclosed December 2023, reported by Universe.
Vulnerability Overview
The Code Embed plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Denial of Service in all versions up to, and including, 2.3.6. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers, with contributor access and above, to disrupt access to the site.
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 availability.
CWE-400: Uncontrolled Resource Consumption
Reaching this weakness in Code Embed <= 2.3.6 takes an account at Contributor level or above. Uncontrolled resource consumption means a request can make the server do an amount of work it never bounds, because the size or repetition of the job is taken from the request rather than capped by the code.
A single caller can hold PHP workers, database connections or disk open long enough to slow the site for everyone, without needing any account or any other flaw. For Code Embed the fix is 2.3.7: builds <= 2.3.6 are affected, anything from 2.3.7 onward is not.
Remediation
Update to version 2.3.7, or a newer patched version
How does WordSec protect against this?
An attacker needs Contributor access first, so the firewall sees the attempt as traffic from a logged-in account: WordSec's web application firewall inspects request payloads before WordPress loads them. None of that substitutes for the fix: Code Embed 2.3.7 closes this, and updating the plugin is the step that ends it.
- Firewall
- Alerts
External References
Related records
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