CVE-2023-38513

Photo Engine <= 6.2.5 - Authenticated (Author+) Insecure Direct Object Reference in ajax_generate_auth_token

2023-07-20 00:00
Rafshanzani Suhada

Strategic Overview

Status
Patched in 6.2.6
Affected Plugin
Photo Engine (Media Organizer & Lightroom)
Affected Version
<= 6.2.5
CVSS
5.4Medium
Weakness type
CWE-639 · Authorization Bypass Through User-Controlled Key
CVE
CVE-2023-38513
View all Photo Engine (Media Organizer & Lightroom) vulnerabilities

At a glance

CVE-2023-38513 is a medium-severity Authorization Bypass Through User-Controlled Key vulnerability in the Photo Engine (Media Organizer & Lightroom) WordPress plugin, affecting versions <= 6.2.5. It carries a CVSS score of 5.4 (reachable over the network; low attack complexity). Exploitation requires an authenticated account at Author level or above. The issue is fixed in version 6.2.6; sites on affected versions should update now. Disclosed July 2023, reported by Rafshanzani Suhada.

Vulnerability Overview

The Photo Engine plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Insecure Direct Object Reference in versions up to, and including, 6.2.5. This is due to missing validation on a user controlled key within the ajax_generate_auth_token function. This makes it possible for unauthenticated attackers to generate authentication tokens on behalf of another user.

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-639: Authorization Bypass Through User-Controlled Key

Reaching this weakness in Photo Engine (Media Organizer & Lightroom) <= 6.2.5 takes an account at Author level or above. 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 Photo Engine (Media Organizer & Lightroom) the fix is 6.2.6: builds <= 6.2.5 are affected, anything from 6.2.6 onward is not.

Remediation

Update to version 6.2.6, 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: Photo Engine (Media Organizer & Lightroom) 6.2.6 closes this, and updating the plugin is the step that ends it.

  • Login Security
  • Alerts

External References

https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2023-38513https://www.wordfence.com/threat-intel/vulnerabilities/id/db6bec6c-77d1-4dab-9893-cf33a2fac629https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-38513

Related records

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