QR code MeCard/vCard generator <= 1.6.0 - Missing Authorization via wqm_make_url_permanent
Strategic Overview
- Status
- Patched in 1.6.1
- Affected Plugin
- QR code MeCard/vCard generator
- Affected Version
<= 1.6.0- CVSS
- 4.3Medium
- Weakness type
- CWE-862 · Missing Authorization
- CVE
CVE-2023-38477
At a glance
CVE-2023-38477 is a medium-severity Missing Authorization vulnerability in the QR code MeCard/vCard generator WordPress plugin, affecting versions <= 1.6.0. 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 1.6.1; sites on affected versions should update now. Disclosed July 2023, reported by Abdi Pranata.
Vulnerability Overview
The QR code MeCard/vCard generator plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to unauthorized modification of data due to a missing capability check on the wqm_make_url_permanent() function in versions up to, and including, 1.6.0. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers, with subscriber-level access and above, to modify the url for QR codes generated by the plugin.
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
QR code MeCard/vCard generator <= 1.6.0 carries this weakness at wqm_make_url_permanent(), and reaching it 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 QR code MeCard/vCard generator the fix is 1.6.1: builds <= 1.6.0 are affected, anything from 1.6.1 onward is not.
Remediation
Update to version 1.6.1, 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: QR code MeCard/vCard generator 1.6.1 closes this, and updating the plugin is the step that ends it.
- Login Security
- Alerts
External References
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