CVE-2022-3883

StopBadBots <= 7.23 - Missing Authorization to Arbitrary Plugin Installation

2022-11-18 00:00
István Márton

Strategic Overview

Status
Patched in 7.24
Affected Plugin
Block Bad Bots and Stop Bad Bots Crawlers and Spiders and Anti Spam Protection
Affected Version
<= 7.23
CVSS
6.5Medium
Weakness type
CWE-862 · Missing Authorization
CVE
CVE-2022-3883
View all Block Bad Bots and Stop Bad Bots Crawlers and Spiders and Anti Spam Protection vulnerabilities

At a glance

CVE-2022-3883 is a medium-severity Missing Authorization vulnerability in the Block Bad Bots and Stop Bad Bots Crawlers and Spiders and Anti Spam Protection WordPress plugin, affecting versions <= 7.23. It carries a CVSS score of 6.5 (reachable over the network; low attack complexity; high integrity impact). The root cause is a missing authorization check on a reachable function. The issue is fixed in version 7.24; sites on affected versions should update now. Disclosed November 2022, reported by István Márton.

Vulnerability Overview

The StopBadBots plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to authorization bypass due to a missing capability check on the stopbadbots_install_plugin() function in versions up to, and including, 7.23. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers with minimal permission, such as a subscriber, to install arbitrary plugins on the vulnerable site. This could be used to install additional vulnerable plugins that could aid in further compromise of 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 integrity.

CWE-862: Missing Authorization

Block Bad Bots and Stop Bad Bots Crawlers and Spiders and Anti Spam Protection <= 7.23 carries this weakness at stopbadbots_install_plugin(), and reaching it takes a caller who can reach the endpoint. 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 Block Bad Bots and Stop Bad Bots Crawlers and Spiders and Anti Spam Protection the fix is 7.24: builds <= 7.23 are affected, anything from 7.24 onward is not.

Remediation

Update to version 7.24, 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: Block Bad Bots and Stop Bad Bots Crawlers and Spiders and Anti Spam Protection 7.24 closes this, and updating the plugin is the step that ends it.

  • Login Security
  • Alerts

External References

https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2022-3883https://www.wordfence.com/threat-intel/vulnerabilities/id/759f5687-4ff1-4b8d-a5e7-3fb409fc2ba0https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2022-3883

Related records

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