CVE-2023-1026

WP Meta SEO <= 4.5.3 - Missing Authorization in 'listPostsCategory'

2023-02-24 00:00
Marco Wotschka

Strategic Overview

Status
Patched in 4.5.4
Affected Plugin
WP Meta SEO
Affected Version
<= 4.5.3
CVSS
4.3Medium
Weakness type
CWE-862 · Missing Authorization
CVE
CVE-2023-1026
View all WP Meta SEO vulnerabilities

At a glance

CVE-2023-1026 is a medium-severity Missing Authorization vulnerability in the WP Meta SEO WordPress plugin, affecting versions <= 4.5.3. 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 4.5.4; sites on affected versions should update now. Disclosed February 2023, reported by Marco Wotschka.

Vulnerability Overview

The WP Meta SEO plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to unauthorized access of data due to a missing capability check on the listPostsCategory function in versions up to, and including, 4.5.3. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers with subscriber-level access to get post listings by category as long as those posts are published. This vulnerability occurred as a result of the plugin relying on nonce checks as a means of access control, and that nonce being accessible to all authenticated users regardless of role.

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 Meta SEO <= 4.5.3 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 Meta SEO the fix is 4.5.4: builds <= 4.5.3 are affected, anything from 4.5.4 onward is not.

Remediation

Update to version 4.5.4, 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 Meta SEO 4.5.4 closes this, and updating the plugin is the step that ends it.

  • Login Security
  • Alerts

External References

https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2023-1026https://www.wordfence.com/threat-intel/vulnerabilities/id/978d5715-7993-4f89-8d69-895467633bfbhttps://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-1026

Related records

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