Stop User Enumeration <= 1.2.4 - Security Bypass

2014-02-03 00:00
Andrew Horton

Strategic Overview

Status
Patched in 1.2.5
Affected Plugin
Stop User Enumeration
Affected Version
<= 1.2.4
CVSS
7.3High
Weakness type
CWE-284 · Improper Access Control
CVE
CVE pending
View all Stop User Enumeration vulnerabilities

At a glance

This record tracks a high-severity Improper Access Control vulnerability in the Stop User Enumeration WordPress plugin, affecting versions <= 1.2.4. It carries a CVSS score of 7.3 (reachable over the network; low attack complexity). Exploitation requires no authentication. The issue is fixed in version 1.2.5; sites on affected versions should update now. Disclosed February 2014, reported by Andrew Horton.

Vulnerability Overview

The WordPress Stop User Enumeration Plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Security Bypass in versions up to, and including, 1.2.4 via POST requests as the protection only functions as intended with GET requests. This makes it possible for unauthenticated attackers to perform otherwise secured actions.

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-284: Improper Access Control

Reaching this weakness in Stop User Enumeration <= 1.2.4 takes a caller who can reach the endpoint. Improper access control means the code decides what a caller may do using something other than their actual permissions, so the decision can be wrong without any check appearing to be missing.

Whoever can shape the request decides the answer, so the protected action runs for callers the code never meant to allow. For Stop User Enumeration the fix is 1.2.5: builds <= 1.2.4 are affected, anything from 1.2.5 onward is not.

Remediation

Update to version 1.2.5, 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: Stop User Enumeration 1.2.5 closes this, and updating the plugin is the step that ends it.

  • Login Security
  • Alerts

External References

https://www.wordfence.com/threat-intel/vulnerabilities/id/f8a653ab-7703-4e73-8089-a15ba6cf9718

Related records

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