WP Basic Elements <= 5.2.15 - Missing Authorization to Plugin Settings Update via wpbe_save_settings
Strategic Overview
- Status
- Patched in 5.3.0
- Affected Plugin
- WP Basic Elements
- Affected Version
<= 5.2.15- CVSS
- 4.3Medium
- Weakness type
- CWE-862 · Missing Authorization
- CVE
CVE pending
At a glance
This record tracks a medium-severity Missing Authorization vulnerability in the WP Basic Elements WordPress plugin, affecting versions <= 5.2.15. It carries a CVSS score of 4.3 (reachable over the network; low attack complexity). The root cause is a missing authorization check on a reachable function. The issue is fixed in version 5.3.0; sites on affected versions should update now. Disclosed March 2023.
Vulnerability Overview
The WP Basic Elements plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to modification of data due to a missing capability check on the wpbe_save_settings function in versions up to, and including, 5.2.15. This makes it possible for subscriber-level attackers to update plugin settings.
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-862: Missing Authorization
Reaching this weakness in WP Basic Elements <= 5.2.15 takes a caller who can reach the endpoint. 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 WP Basic Elements the fix is 5.3.0: builds <= 5.2.15 are affected, anything from 5.3.0 onward is not.
Remediation
Update to version 5.3.0, 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: WP Basic Elements 5.3.0 closes this, and updating the plugin is the step that ends it.
- Login Security
- Alerts
External References
Related records
Other vulnerabilities in WP Basic Elements
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