CVE-2023-1979

Web Stories for WordPress <= 1.31.0 - Insufficient Authorization

2023-05-08 00:00

Strategic Overview

Status: Patched in 1.32.0
Affected Plugin: Web Stories
Affected Version: < 1.32.0
CVSS: 4.3Medium
Weakness type: CWE-863 · Incorrect Authorization
CVE: CVE-2023-1979

At a glance

CVE-2023-1979 is a medium-severity Incorrect Authorization vulnerability in the Web Stories WordPress plugin, affecting versions < 1.32.0. It carries a CVSS score of 4.3 (reachable over the network; low attack complexity). The issue is fixed in version 1.32.0; sites on affected versions should update now. Disclosed May 2023.

Vulnerability Overview

The Web Stories for WordPress plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to authorization bypass in versions up to, and including, 1.31.0. This is due to insufficient authorization checks on the duplicate functionality. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers, with author-level permissions, to duplicate password protected posts and view the content of those protected posts.

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-863: Incorrect Authorization

Reaching this weakness in Web Stories < 1.32.0 takes a caller who can reach the endpoint. Incorrect authorization means a permission check exists but evaluates the wrong thing, so it passes for callers it was meant to stop.

The action runs for users the code intended to exclude, with the same effect as having no check at all. For Web Stories the fix is 1.32.0: builds < 1.32.0 are affected, anything from 1.32.0 onward is not.

Remediation

Update to version 1.32.0, or a newer patched version

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: Web Stories 1.32.0 closes this, and updating the plugin is the step that ends it.

Login Security
Alerts

External References

https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2023-1979 https://www.wordfence.com/threat-intel/vulnerabilities/id/63f2e02c-baa4-446c-bf1c-96ce099ad02e https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-1979

Related records

CVSS Vector

4.3

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

Base

Attack VectorNetwork
Attack ComplexityLow
Privileges RequiredLow
User InteractionNone
ScopeUnchanged
ConfidentialityLow
IntegrityNone
AvailabilityNone

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