CVE-2023-6731

WP Show Posts <= 1.1.5 - Improper Authorization to Information Exposure

2024-04-16 00:00

Strategic Overview

Status: Patched in 1.1.6
Affected Plugin: WP Show Posts
Affected Version: <= 1.1.5
CVSS: 4.3Medium
Weakness type: CWE-285 · Improper Authorization
CVE: CVE-2023-6731

At a glance

CVE-2023-6731 is a medium-severity Improper Authorization vulnerability in the WP Show Posts WordPress plugin, affecting versions <= 1.1.5. It carries a CVSS score of 4.3 (reachable over the network; low attack complexity). The issue is fixed in version 1.1.6; sites on affected versions should update now. Disclosed April 2024, reported by Lucio Sá.

Vulnerability Overview

The WP Show Posts plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to unauthorized access of data due to a missing capability check on multiple AJAX functions in all versions up to, and including, 1.1.5. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers, with subscriber access and above, to view arbitrary post metadata, list posts, and view terms and taxonomies.

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-285: Improper Authorization

Reaching this weakness in WP Show Posts <= 1.1.5 takes a caller who can reach the endpoint. Improper authorization means a permission check exists but does not cover the case being exercised, so a caller who is allowed to do one thing is allowed to do a neighbouring thing as well.

A lower-privileged account performs an action reserved for a higher one, which on a multi-author or membership site means an ordinary user reaching administrative behaviour. For WP Show Posts the fix is 1.1.6: builds <= 1.1.5 are affected, anything from 1.1.6 onward is not.

Remediation

Update to version 1.1.6, 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 Show Posts 1.1.6 closes this, and updating the plugin is the step that ends it.

Login Security
Alerts

External References

https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2023-6731 https://www.wordfence.com/threat-intel/vulnerabilities/id/e6bb3680-0623-4633-971e-3bc4a52dfad3 https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-6731

Related records

CVSS Vector

4.3

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:N

Base

Attack VectorNetwork
Attack ComplexityLow
Privileges RequiredLow
User InteractionNone
ScopeUnchanged
ConfidentialityLow
IntegrityNone
AvailabilityNone

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