Platform < 1.4.4 - Missing Authorization to Unauthenticated Arbitrary Options Update
Strategic Overview
- Status
- Patched in 1.4.4
- Affected Theme
- Platform
- Affected Version
< 1.4.4- CVSS
- 9.8Critical
- Weakness type
- CWE-862 · Missing Authorization
- CVE
CVE-2015-10143
At a glance
CVE-2015-10143 is a critical-severity Missing Authorization vulnerability in the Platform WordPress theme, affecting versions < 1.4.4. It carries a CVSS score of 9.8 (reachable over the network; low attack complexity; high confidentiality, integrity, availability impact). Exploitation requires no authentication. The issue is fixed in version 1.4.4; sites on affected versions should update now. Disclosed January 2015, reported by Marc-Alexandre Montpas.
Vulnerability Overview
The Platform theme for WordPress is vulnerable to unauthorized modification of data that can lead to privilege escalation due to a missing capability check on the *_ajax_save_options() function in all versions up to 1.4.4 (exclusive). This makes it possible for unauthenticated attackers to update arbitrary options on the WordPress site. This can be leveraged to update the default role for registration to administrator and enable user registration for attackers to gain administrative user access to 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. A successful exploit has high impact on confidentiality, integrity, availability — full site compromise territory.
CWE-862: Missing Authorization
Platform < 1.4.4 carries this weakness at _ajax_save_options(), and reaching it takes no account at all. 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 Platform the fix is 1.4.4: builds < 1.4.4 are affected, anything from 1.4.4 onward is not.
Remediation
Update to version 1.4.4, 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: Platform 1.4.4 closes this, and updating the theme is the step that ends it.
- Login Security
- Alerts
External References
Related records
Other vulnerabilities in Platform
Vulnerability data © Defiant, Inc., provided under the Wordfence Intelligence T&C