CVE-2023-2261

WP Activity Log <= 4.5.0 - Missing Capabilities Check to User Enumeration

2023-05-17 00:00
Marco Wotschka

Strategic Overview

Status
Patched in 4.5.2
Affected Plugin
WP Activity Log
Affected Version
<= 4.5.0
CVSS
4.3Medium
Weakness type
CWE-862 · Missing Authorization
CVE
CVE-2023-2261
View all WP Activity Log vulnerabilities

At a glance

CVE-2023-2261 is a medium-severity Missing Authorization vulnerability in the WP Activity Log WordPress plugin, affecting versions <= 4.5.0. It carries a CVSS score of 4.3 (reachable over the network; low attack complexity). The issue is fixed in version 4.5.2; sites on affected versions should update now. Disclosed May 2023, reported by Marco Wotschka.

Vulnerability Overview

The WP Activity Log plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to authorization bypass due to a missing capability check on the handle_ajax_call function in versions up to, and including, 4.5.0. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers, with subscriber-level access or higher, to obtain a list of users with accounts on the site. This includes ids, usernames and emails.

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 Activity Log <= 4.5.0 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 Activity Log the fix is 4.5.2: builds <= 4.5.0 are affected, anything from 4.5.2 onward is not.

Remediation

Update to version 4.5.2, 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 Activity Log 4.5.2 closes this, and updating the plugin is the step that ends it.

  • Login Security
  • Alerts

External References

https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2023-2261https://www.wordfence.com/threat-intel/vulnerabilities/id/f51f0919-498e-4f86-a933-1b7f2c4a10a4https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-2261

Related records

Vulnerability data © Defiant, Inc., provided under the Wordfence Intelligence T&C