User Shortcodes Plus <= 2.0.2 - Insecure Direct Object Reference to Authenticated (Contributor+) Sensitive Information Disclosure via user_meta Shortcode
Strategic Overview
- Status
- Unpatched
- Affected Plugin
- User Shortcodes Plus
- Affected Version
<= 2.0.2- CVSS
- 4.3Medium
- Weakness type
- CWE-639 · Authorization Bypass Through User-Controlled Key
- CVE
CVE-2023-6969
At a glance
CVE-2023-6969 is a medium-severity Authorization Bypass Through User-Controlled Key vulnerability in the User Shortcodes Plus WordPress plugin, affecting versions <= 2.0.2. It carries a CVSS score of 4.3 (reachable over the network; low attack complexity). Exploitation requires an authenticated account at Contributor level or above. No fixed release has been reported yet; treat installations running this software as exposed. Disclosed February 2024, reported by Francesco Carlucci.
Vulnerability Overview
The User Shortcodes Plus plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Insecure Direct Object Reference in all versions up to, and including, 2.0.2 via the user_meta shortcode due to missing validation on a user controlled key. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers, with contributor-level access and above, to retrieve potentially sensitive user meta.
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-639: Authorization Bypass Through User-Controlled Key
Reaching this weakness in User Shortcodes Plus <= 2.0.2 takes an account at Contributor level or above. Authorization bypass through a user-controlled key, often called insecure direct object reference, means the application looks up a record by an identifier from the request without checking that the caller owns it.
Changing a number in the request is enough to read or modify other users' records, which on commerce and membership sites means customer data. No fixed build of this plugin is recorded for User Shortcodes Plus yet, so installs running <= 2.0.2 stay exposed until the vendor ships one.
Remediation
No known patch available. Please review the vulnerability's details in depth and employ mitigations based on your organization's risk tolerance. It may be best to uninstall the affected software and find a replacement.
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. No patched version is recorded yet, which is the case where a filtering layer matters most, because there is nothing to update to.
- Login Security
- Alerts
External References
Vulnerability data © Defiant, Inc., provided under the Wordfence Intelligence T&C