CVE-2020-10257

ThemeREX Addons (Various Versions) - Missing Authorization

2020-03-09 00:00
Chloe Chamberland

Strategic Overview

Status
Patched in 1.6.49.10
Affected Plugin
ThemeREX Addons
Affected Version
1.6.49.6 – 1.70.3 · 25 branches
CVSS
9.8Critical
Weakness type
CWE-862 · Missing Authorization
CVE
CVE-2020-10257
View all ThemeREX Addons vulnerabilities

At a glance

CVE-2020-10257 is a critical-severity Missing Authorization vulnerability in the ThemeREX Addons WordPress plugin, affecting versions 1.6.49.6 – 1.70.3 · 25 branches. It carries a CVSS score of 9.8 (reachable over the network; low attack complexity; high confidentiality, integrity, availability impact). Exploitation requires no authentication. The issue is fixed in version 1.6.49.10; sites on affected versions should update now. Disclosed March 2020, reported by Chloe Chamberland.

Vulnerability Overview

The ThemeREX Addons plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Improper Access Control in various versions. This is due to the /trx_addons/v2/get/sc_layout REST API endpoint, allowing for PHP functions to be executed by any users, because includes/plugin.rest-api.php calls trx_addons_rest_get_sc_layout with an unsafe sc parameter. This makes it possible for unauthenticated attackers to execute functions like wp_insert_user, allowing attackers the ability to inject administrative user accounts and take over sites. See https://www.wordfence.com/blog/2020/03/zero-day-vulnerability-in-themerex-addons-now-patched/ for accurate version 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 privileges on the target site, and no interaction from a victim user. A successful exploit has high impact on confidentiality, integrity, availability — full site compromise territory.

CWE-862: Missing Authorization

Reaching this weakness in ThemeREX Addons 1.6.49.6 – 1.70.3 · 25 branches 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 ThemeREX Addons the fix is 1.6.49.10: builds 1.6.49.6 – 1.70.3 · 25 branches are affected, anything from 1.6.49.10 onward is not.

Remediation

Update to one of the following versions, or a newer patched version: 1.6.49.10, 1.6.49.6, 1.6.49.6.3, 1.6.49.7, 1.6.50.2, 1.6.51.4, 1.6.52.3, 1.6.53.4, 1.6.54.1, 1.6.55.8, 1.6.56.1, 1.6.57.4, 1.6.58.3, 1.6.59.1.2, 1.6.59.4, 1.6.60.1, 1.6.61.1.1, 1.6.61.2.1, 1.6.62.4, 1.6.65.1, 1.6.66.1, 1.6.67.1, 1.70.3.1

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: ThemeREX Addons 1.6.49.10 closes this, and updating the plugin is the step that ends it.

  • Login Security
  • Alerts

External References

https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2020-10257https://www.wordfence.com/threat-intel/vulnerabilities/id/1a14b674-620e-4247-a200-92d9f23acbcahttps://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2020-10257

Related records

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