W3 Total Cache <= 0.9.7.3 - Server Side Request Forgery

2019-05-22 00:00
Anonymous

Strategic Overview

Status
Patched in 0.9.7.4
Affected Plugin
W3 Total Cache
Affected Version
<= 0.9.7.3
CVSS
5.4Medium
Weakness type
CWE-918 · Server-Side Request Forgery (SSRF)
CVE
CVE pending
View all W3 Total Cache vulnerabilities

At a glance

This record tracks a medium-severity Server-Side Request Forgery (SSRF) vulnerability in the W3 Total Cache WordPress plugin, affecting versions <= 0.9.7.3. It carries a CVSS score of 5.4 (reachable over the network; low attack complexity). The issue is fixed in version 0.9.7.4; sites on affected versions should update now. Disclosed May 2019.

Vulnerability Overview

The W3 Total Cache plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Server Side Request Forgery in versions up to, and including 0.9.7.3, due to insufficient user input validation in the opcache_flush_file file.

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-918: Server-Side Request Forgery (SSRF)

Reaching this weakness in W3 Total Cache <= 0.9.7.3 takes a caller who can reach the endpoint. Server-side request forgery means the application fetches a URL supplied by the caller, turning the server into a proxy for requests the attacker could not make directly.

The request originates from inside the hosting network, which is how these flaws reach cloud metadata endpoints, internal admin panels and services that trust local traffic. For W3 Total Cache the fix is 0.9.7.4: builds <= 0.9.7.3 are affected, anything from 0.9.7.4 onward is not.

Remediation

Update to version 0.9.7.4, or a newer patched version

How does WordSec protect against this?

The attempt arrives as an ordinary request to W3 Total Cache: WordSec's web application firewall inspects request payloads before WordPress loads them. None of that substitutes for the fix: W3 Total Cache 0.9.7.4 closes this, and updating the plugin is the step that ends it.

  • Firewall
  • Alerts

External References

https://www.wordfence.com/threat-intel/vulnerabilities/id/b19ce745-2cc4-48eb-b5f3-5011be7cceec

Related records

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