CVE-2021-24655

WP User Manager <= 2.6.2 - Arbitrary User Password Reset

2021-09-22 00:00

Strategic Overview

Status: Patched in 2.6.3
Affected Plugin: WP User Manager – User Profile Builder & Membership
Affected Version: <= 2.6.2
CVSS: 7.5High
Weakness type: CWE-639 · Authorization Bypass Through User-Controlled Key
CVE: CVE-2021-24655

View all WP User Manager – User Profile Builder & Membership vulnerabilities

At a glance

CVE-2021-24655 is a high-severity Authorization Bypass Through User-Controlled Key vulnerability in the WP User Manager WordPress plugin, affecting versions <= 2.6.2. It carries a CVSS score of 7.5 (reachable over the network; high confidentiality, integrity, availability impact). The issue is fixed in version 2.6.3; sites on affected versions should update now. Disclosed September 2021, reported by AyeCode Ltd.

Vulnerability Overview

The WP User Manager WordPress plugin before 2.6.3 does not ensure that the user ID to reset the password of is related to the reset key given. As a result, any authenticated user can reset the password (to an arbitrary value) of any user knowing only their ID, and gain access to their account.

Technical Analysis

The vector marks this flaw as remotely reachable over the network, and no interaction from a victim user. A successful exploit has high impact on confidentiality, integrity, availability — full site compromise territory.

CWE-639: Authorization Bypass Through User-Controlled Key

Reaching this weakness in WP User Manager <= 2.6.2 takes a caller who can reach the endpoint. Authorization bypass through a user-controlled key, often called insecure direct object reference, means the application looks up a record by an identifier from the request without checking that the caller owns it.

Changing a number in the request is enough to read or modify other users' records, which on commerce and membership sites means customer data. For WP User Manager the fix is 2.6.3: builds <= 2.6.2 are affected, anything from 2.6.3 onward is not.

Remediation

Update to version 2.6.3, 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 User Manager 2.6.3 closes this, and updating the plugin is the step that ends it.

Login Security
Alerts

External References

https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2021-24655 https://www.wordfence.com/threat-intel/vulnerabilities/id/8815abff-6bd5-4ce4-9adf-afd699f628c4 https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2021-24655

Related records

Other vulnerabilities in WP User Manager – User Profile Builder & Membership

CVSS Vector

7.5

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

Base

Attack VectorNetwork
Attack ComplexityHigh
Privileges RequiredLow
User InteractionNone
ScopeUnchanged
ConfidentialityHigh
IntegrityHigh
AvailabilityHigh

This record contains material that is subject to copyright

CVE Usage: MITRE hereby grants you a perpetual, worldwide, non-exclusive, no-charge, royalty-free, irrevocable copyright license to reproduce, prepare derivative works of, publicly display, publicly perform, sublicense, and distribute Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVE®). Any copy you make for such purposes is authorized provided that you reproduce MITRE's copyright designation and this license in any such copy.

https://www.cve.org/Legal/TermsOfUse

Defiant hereby grants you a perpetual, worldwide, non-exclusive, no-charge, royalty-free, irrevocable copyright license to reproduce, prepare derivative works of, publicly display, publicly perform, sublicense, and distribute this software vulnerability information. Any copy of the software vulnerability information you make for such purposes is authorized provided that you include a hyperlink to this vulnerability record and reproduce Defiant's copyright designation and this license in any such copy.

https://www.wordfence.com/wordfence-intelligence-terms-and-conditions/