CVE-2023-5712

System Dashboard <= 2.8.7 - Missing Authorization to Information Disclosure (sd_global_value)

2023-12-06 00:00
Dmitrii Ignatyev

Strategic Overview

Status
Patched in 2.8.8
Affected Plugin
System Dashboard
Affected Version
<= 2.8.7
CVSS
4.3Medium
Weakness type
CWE-862 · Missing Authorization
CVE
CVE-2023-5712
View all System Dashboard vulnerabilities

At a glance

CVE-2023-5712 is a medium-severity Missing Authorization vulnerability in the System Dashboard WordPress plugin, affecting versions <= 2.8.7. It carries a CVSS score of 4.3 (reachable over the network; low attack complexity). The root cause is a missing authorization check on a reachable function. The issue is fixed in version 2.8.8; sites on affected versions should update now. Disclosed December 2023, reported by Dmitrii Ignatyev.

Vulnerability Overview

The System Dashboard plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to unauthorized access of data due to a missing capability check on the sd_global_value() function hooked via an AJAX action in all versions up to, and including, 2.8.7. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers, with subscriber-level access and above, to retrieve sensitive global value information.

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-862: Missing Authorization

System Dashboard <= 2.8.7 carries this weakness at sd_global_value(), 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 System Dashboard the fix is 2.8.8: builds <= 2.8.7 are affected, anything from 2.8.8 onward is not.

Remediation

Update to version 2.8.8, 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: System Dashboard 2.8.8 closes this, and updating the plugin is the step that ends it.

  • Login Security
  • Alerts

External References

https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2023-5712https://www.wordfence.com/threat-intel/vulnerabilities/id/70f14d9d-6ed6-4bcb-944d-f9c5aa6a17a6https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-5712

Related records

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