Mesmerize <= 1.6.89 & Materialis <= 1.0.172 - Authenticated Arbitrary Options Update
Strategic Overview
- Status
- Patched in 1.6.90
- Affected Theme
- Mesmerize
- Affected Version
<= 1.6.89- CVSS
- 8.8High
- Weakness type
- CWE-862 · Missing Authorization
- CVE
CVE-2019-25142
At a glance
CVE-2019-25142 is a high-severity Missing Authorization vulnerability in the Mesmerize WordPress theme, affecting versions <= 1.6.89. It carries a CVSS score of 8.8 (reachable over the network; low attack complexity; high confidentiality, integrity, availability impact). Exploitation requires an authenticated account. The issue is fixed in version 1.6.90; sites on affected versions should update now. Disclosed December 2019, reported by Jerome Bruandet.
Vulnerability Overview
The Mesmerize & Materialis themes for WordPress are vulnerable to authenticated options change in versions up to, and including,1.6.89 (Mesmerize) and 1.0.172 (Materialis). This is due to 'companion_disable_popup' function only checking the nonce while sending user input to the 'update_option' function. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers to change otherwise restricted options.
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. A successful exploit has high impact on confidentiality, integrity, availability — full site compromise territory.
CWE-862: Missing Authorization
Mesmerize <= 1.6.89 carries this weakness at companion_disable_popup, and reaching it takes any authenticated account. 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 Mesmerize the fix is 1.6.90: builds <= 1.6.89 are affected, anything from 1.6.90 onward is not.
Remediation
Update to version 1.6.90, 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: Mesmerize 1.6.90 closes this, and updating the theme is the step that ends it.
- Login Security
- Alerts
External References
Related records
Other vulnerabilities in Mesmerize
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