CVE-2019-17232

Ultimate FAQ <= 1.8.24 - Unauthenticated Options Import/Export

2019-09-20 00:00

Strategic Overview

Status: Patched in 1.8.25
Affected Plugin: Ultimate FAQ Accordion Plugin
Affected Version: < 1.8.25
CVSS: 9.1Critical
Weakness type: CWE-862 · Missing Authorization
CVE: CVE-2019-17232

View all Ultimate FAQ Accordion Plugin vulnerabilities

At a glance

CVE-2019-17232 is a critical-severity Missing Authorization vulnerability in the Ultimate FAQ Accordion Plugin WordPress plugin, affecting versions < 1.8.25. It carries a CVSS score of 9.1 (reachable over the network; low attack complexity; high integrity, availability impact). Exploitation requires no authentication. The issue is fixed in version 1.8.25; sites on affected versions should update now. Disclosed September 2019, reported by Jerome Bruandet.

Vulnerability Overview

Functions/EWD_UFAQ_Import.php in the ultimate-faqs plugin through 1.8.24 for WordPress allows unauthenticated options import.

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 integrity, availability.

CWE-862: Missing Authorization

Reaching this weakness in Ultimate FAQ Accordion Plugin < 1.8.25 takes no account at all. 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 Ultimate FAQ Accordion Plugin the fix is 1.8.25: builds < 1.8.25 are affected, anything from 1.8.25 onward is not.

Remediation

Update to version 1.8.25, or a newer patched version

How does WordSec protect against this?

This one needs no account at all, which puts it outside what login hardening can reach; WordSec's login security narrows the account-level paths around it, and the firewall is what inspects the request itself. None of that substitutes for the fix: Ultimate FAQ Accordion Plugin 1.8.25 closes this, and updating the plugin is the step that ends it.

Login Security
Alerts

External References

https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2019-17232 https://www.wordfence.com/threat-intel/vulnerabilities/id/eb562efb-eb17-4366-9f6d-02653df6ece1 https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2019-17232

Related records

Same weakness class

5.7CVE-2021-24968: Ultimate FAQ <= 2.1.1 Arbitrary FAQ CreationCVE-2021-24968

Other vulnerabilities in Ultimate FAQ Accordion Plugin

CVSS Vector

9.1

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

Base

Attack VectorNetwork
Attack ComplexityLow
Privileges RequiredNone
User InteractionNone
ScopeUnchanged
ConfidentialityNone
IntegrityHigh
AvailabilityHigh

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