CVE-2020-36721

Epsilon Framework Themes (Various Versions) - Unauthenticated Plugin Activation/Deactivation

2020-10-01 00:00

Strategic Overview

Status: Patched in 1.4.2
Affected Theme: Activello
Affected Version: <= 1.4.0
CVSS: 6.5Medium
Weakness type: CWE-284 · Improper Access Control
CVE: CVE-2020-36721

At a glance

CVE-2020-36721 is a medium-severity Improper Access Control vulnerability in the Activello WordPress theme, affecting versions <= 1.4.0. It carries a CVSS score of 6.5 (reachable over the network; low attack complexity). Exploitation requires no authentication. The issue is fixed in version 1.4.2; sites on affected versions should update now. Disclosed October 2020, reported by Jerome Bruandet.

Vulnerability Overview

The Brilliance <= 1.2.7, Activello <= 1.4.0, and Newspaper X <= 1.3.1 themes for WordPress are vulnerable to Plugin Activation/Deactivation. This is due to the 'activello_activate_plugin' and 'activello_deactivate_plugin' functions in the 'inc/welcome-screen/class-activello-welcome.php' file missing capability and security checks/nonces. This makes it possible for unauthenticated attackers to activate and deactivate arbitrary plugins installed on a vulnerable site.

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 privileges on the target site, and no interaction from a victim user.

CWE-284: Improper Access Control

Activello <= 1.4.0 carries this weakness at activello_activate_plugin, and reaching it takes no account at all. Improper access control means the code decides what a caller may do using something other than their actual permissions, so the decision can be wrong without any check appearing to be missing.

Whoever can shape the request decides the answer, so the protected action runs for callers the code never meant to allow. For Activello the fix is 1.4.2: builds <= 1.4.0 are affected, anything from 1.4.2 onward is not.

Remediation

Update to version 1.4.2, or a newer patched version

How does WordSec protect against this?

This one needs no account at all, which puts it outside what login hardening can reach; WordSec's login security narrows the account-level paths around it, and the firewall is what inspects the request itself. None of that substitutes for the fix: Activello 1.4.2 closes this, and updating the theme is the step that ends it.

Login Security
Alerts

External References

https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2020-36721 https://www.wordfence.com/threat-intel/vulnerabilities/id/a9e4e989-8e55-4ea7-8f42-9f67cfab1168 https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2020-36721

Related records

Other vulnerabilities in Activello

CVSS Vector

6.5

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

Base

Attack VectorNetwork
Attack ComplexityLow
Privileges RequiredNone
User InteractionNone
ScopeUnchanged
ConfidentialityNone
IntegrityLow
AvailabilityLow

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