CVE-2023-5454

Templately <= 2.2.5 - Improper Authorization to Arbitrary Post Deletion

2023-10-16 00:00
Krzysztof Zając

Strategic Overview

Status
Patched in 2.2.6
Affected Plugin
Templately – Elementor & Gutenberg Template Library: 6500+ Free & Pro Ready Templates And Cloud!
Affected Version
<= 2.2.5
CVSS
6.5Medium
Weakness type
CWE-285 · Improper Authorization
CVE
CVE-2023-5454
View all Templately – Elementor & Gutenberg Template Library: 6500+ Free & Pro Ready Templates And Cloud! vulnerabilities

At a glance

CVE-2023-5454 is a medium-severity Improper Authorization vulnerability in the Templately WordPress plugin, affecting versions <= 2.2.5. It carries a CVSS score of 6.5 (reachable over the network; low attack complexity; high availability impact). The issue is fixed in version 2.2.6; sites on affected versions should update now. Disclosed October 2023, reported by Krzysztof Zając.

Vulnerability Overview

The Templately plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to unauthorized loss of data due to an improper capability check on the 'delete' REST endpoint in versions up to, and including, 2.2.5. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers to delete arbitrary posts.

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-285: Improper Authorization

Templately <= 2.2.5 carries this weakness at delete, and reaching it 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 Templately the fix is 2.2.6: builds <= 2.2.5 are affected, anything from 2.2.6 onward is not.

Remediation

Update to version 2.2.6, 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: Templately 2.2.6 closes this, and updating the plugin is the step that ends it.

  • Login Security
  • Alerts

External References

https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2023-5454https://www.wordfence.com/threat-intel/vulnerabilities/id/c74553c0-366e-44d7-8c4a-161a05ef02b4https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-5454

Related records

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