CVE-2023-5359

W3 Total Cache <= 2.7.5 - Sensitive Credentials Stored in Plaintext

2024-09-23 00:00

Strategic Overview

Status: Patched in 2.7.6
Affected Plugin: W3 Total Cache
Affected Version: <= 2.7.5
CVSS: 3.7Low
Weakness type: CWE-200 · Exposure of Sensitive Information to an Unauthorized Actor
CVE: CVE-2023-5359

At a glance

CVE-2023-5359 is a low-severity Exposure of Sensitive Information to an Unauthorized Actor vulnerability in the W3 Total Cache WordPress plugin, affecting versions <= 2.7.5. It carries a CVSS score of 3.7 (reachable over the network). Exploitation requires no authentication. The issue is fixed in version 2.7.6; sites on affected versions should update now. Disclosed September 2024, reported by Ivan Kuzymchak.

Vulnerability Overview

The W3 Total Cache plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Sensitive Information Exposure in versions up to, and including, 2.7.5 via Google OAuth API secrets stored in plaintext in the publicly visible plugin source. This can allow unauthenticated attackers to impersonate W3 Total Cache and gain access to user account information in successful conditions. This would not impact the WordPress users site in any way.

Technical Analysis

The vector marks this flaw as remotely reachable over the network, and no privileges on the target site, and no interaction from a victim user.

CWE-200: Exposure of Sensitive Information to an Unauthorized Actor

Reaching this weakness in W3 Total Cache <= 2.7.5 takes a caller who can reach the endpoint. Sensitive information exposure means data the application intended to keep internal is returned to a caller who should not be able to see it.

The disclosed data — credentials, tokens, customer records or internal paths — is usually worth more as material for a follow-up attack than as an end in itself. For W3 Total Cache the fix is 2.7.6: builds <= 2.7.5 are affected, anything from 2.7.6 onward is not.

Remediation

Update to version 2.7.6, or a newer patched version

How does WordSec protect against this?

The fix is the thing that ends this: W3 Total Cache 2.7.6 closes this, and updating the plugin is the step that ends it.

Alerts

External References

https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2023-5359 https://www.wordfence.com/threat-intel/vulnerabilities/id/2d89a534-978e-4fd8-be3a-5137bdc22dc9 https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-5359

Related records

Same weakness class

Other vulnerabilities in W3 Total Cache

CVSS Vector

3.7

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

Base

Attack VectorNetwork
Attack ComplexityHigh
Privileges RequiredNone
User InteractionNone
ScopeUnchanged
ConfidentialityLow
IntegrityNone
AvailabilityNone

This record contains material that is subject to copyright

CVE Usage: MITRE hereby grants you a perpetual, worldwide, non-exclusive, no-charge, royalty-free, irrevocable copyright license to reproduce, prepare derivative works of, publicly display, publicly perform, sublicense, and distribute Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVE®). Any copy you make for such purposes is authorized provided that you reproduce MITRE's copyright designation and this license in any such copy.

https://www.cve.org/Legal/TermsOfUse

Defiant hereby grants you a perpetual, worldwide, non-exclusive, no-charge, royalty-free, irrevocable copyright license to reproduce, prepare derivative works of, publicly display, publicly perform, sublicense, and distribute this software vulnerability information. Any copy of the software vulnerability information you make for such purposes is authorized provided that you include a hyperlink to this vulnerability record and reproduce Defiant's copyright designation and this license in any such copy.

https://www.wordfence.com/wordfence-intelligence-terms-and-conditions/