Discussion Board <= 2.4.8 - Authenticated (Subscriber+) Content Injection
Strategic Overview
- Status
- Patched in 2.4.9
- Affected Plugin
- Discussion Board – WordPress Forum Plugin
- Affected Version
<= 2.4.8- CVSS
- 5.4Medium
- Weakness type
- CWE-74 · Improper Neutralization of Special Elements in Output Used by a Downstream Component ('Injection')
- CVE
CVE-2023-39161
At a glance
CVE-2023-39161 is a medium-severity Improper Neutralization of Special Elements in Output Used by a Downstream Component ('Injection') vulnerability in the Discussion Board WordPress plugin, affecting versions <= 2.4.8. It carries a CVSS score of 5.4 (reachable over the network; low attack complexity). Exploitation requires an authenticated account at Subscriber level or above. The issue is fixed in version 2.4.9; sites on affected versions should update now. Disclosed July 2023, reported by Abdi Pranata.
Vulnerability Overview
The Discussion Board plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Content Injection in versions up to, and including, 2.4.8 via the discussion feature. This vulnerability makes it possible for authenticated attackers, subscribers and higher, to inject new content onto the website, through the manipulation of posts to create new web pages, spam, or phishing.
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-74: Improper Neutralization of Special Elements in Output Used by a Downstream Component ('Injection')
The product constructs all or part of a command, data structure, or record using externally-influenced input from an upstream component, but it does not neutralize or incorrectly neutralizes special elements that could modify how it is parsed or interpreted when it is sent to a downstream component.
Remediation
Update to version 2.4.9, or a newer patched version
How does WordSec protect against this?
An attacker needs Subscriber access first, so the firewall sees the attempt as traffic from a logged-in account: WordSec's web application firewall inspects request payloads before WordPress loads them. None of that substitutes for the fix: Discussion Board 2.4.9 closes this, and updating the plugin is the step that ends it.
- Firewall
- Alerts
External References
Related records
Other vulnerabilities in Discussion Board – WordPress Forum Plugin
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