CVE-2019-15650

Stops Core Theme And Plugin Updates <= 8.0.4 - Insufficient Restrictions on Option Changes

2019-03-28 00:00

Strategic Overview

Status: Patched in 8.0.5
Affected Plugin: Easy Updates Manager
Affected Version: <= 8.0.4
CVSS: 4.3Medium
Weakness type: CWE-285 · Improper Authorization
CVE: CVE-2019-15650

View all Easy Updates Manager vulnerabilities

At a glance

CVE-2019-15650 is a medium-severity Improper Authorization vulnerability in the Easy Updates Manager WordPress plugin, affecting versions <= 8.0.4. It carries a CVSS score of 4.3 (reachable over the network; low attack complexity). The issue is fixed in version 8.0.5; sites on affected versions should update now. Disclosed March 2019.

Vulnerability Overview

The stops-core-theme-and-plugin-updates plugin before 8.0.5 for WordPress has insufficient restrictions on option changes (such as disabling unattended theme updates) because of a nonce check error.

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-285: Improper Authorization

Reaching this weakness in Easy Updates Manager <= 8.0.4 takes a caller who can reach the endpoint. Improper authorization means a permission check exists but does not cover the case being exercised, so a caller who is allowed to do one thing is allowed to do a neighbouring thing as well.

A lower-privileged account performs an action reserved for a higher one, which on a multi-author or membership site means an ordinary user reaching administrative behaviour. For Easy Updates Manager the fix is 8.0.5: builds <= 8.0.4 are affected, anything from 8.0.5 onward is not.

Remediation

Update to version 8.0.5, 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: Easy Updates Manager 8.0.5 closes this, and updating the plugin is the step that ends it.

Login Security
Alerts

External References

https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2019-15650 https://www.wordfence.com/threat-intel/vulnerabilities/id/3a9feacb-ef9c-40d4-abdb-a3fcfd529901 https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2019-15650

Related records

Other vulnerabilities in Easy Updates Manager

6.1CVE-2026-7660: Easy Updates Manager <= 9.0.20 Reflected XSSCVE-2026-7660

CVSS Vector

4.3

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:N

Base

Attack VectorNetwork
Attack ComplexityLow
Privileges RequiredLow
User InteractionNone
ScopeUnchanged
ConfidentialityNone
IntegrityLow
AvailabilityNone

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