CVE-2023-2448 - Unauthorized Access and Arbitrary Shortcode Execution in UserPro WordPress Plugin (Up to v5.1.4)

The popular UserPro plugin for WordPress, used by thousands of websites to manage user profiles and registration, has been found to be vulnerable to unauthorized access to sensitive user data and arbitrary shortcode execution in versions up to, and including, 5.1.4. This security vulnerability, identified as CVE-2023-2448, poses a significant risk to WordPress websites using the plugin.

An attacker can exploit CVE-2023-2448 to access sensitive user information on a targeted website and maliciously execute shortcodes. This unauthorized access vulnerability is particularly concerning as it allows unauthenticated attackers to gain unauthorized access to protected user information and even compromise the security of a website.

Technical Details

The vulnerability exists due to a missing capability check in the 'userpro_shortcode_template' function of the UserPro plugin. As a result, an unauthenticated attacker can execute arbitrary shortcodes via the overlay query parameter of the /wp-admin/admin-ajax.php?action=userpro_shortcode_template endpoint.

The issue can be traced to the following code snippet

function userpro_shortcode_template() {
    $template = userpro_get_option('profile_ajax_profile');
 
    if (($_SERVER['HTTP_X_REQUESTED_WITH'] == 'XMLHttpRequest')) {
        if ($template == '2')
            include(UP_VIEW.'/ajax/profile-overview.php');
        else
            include(UP_VIEW.'/ajax/profile-inline.php');
    }
    exit;
}

In this code snippet, missing capability checks allow unauthorized access and execution of arbitrary shortcodes via the overlay query parameter.

An attacker can leverage this vulnerability (identified as CVE-2023-2446) to obtain sensitive information from a WordPress website by executing shortcodes.

The proof of concept is shown below

POST /wp-admin/admin-ajax.php HTTP/1.1
Host: victim.site
Content-Type: application/x-www-form-urlencoded
Content-Length: 75
Connection: close
 
action=userpro_shortcode_template&[SHORTCODE_NAME]&user_id=[VICTIM_USER_ID]

If left unaddressed, this vulnerability can have severe consequences, such as

1. Unauthorized access to sensitive user information, such as usernames, passwords, email addresses, etc.

Exploiting shortcodes to compromise a website or deface its content.

3. Unwanted exposure of user information, potentially leading to identity theft or other unauthorized uses of personal information.

Solution

To mitigate the risk associated with this vulnerability, it is recommended that users of the UserPro plugin:

Update the UserPro plugin to the latest version (5.1.5 or higher) as soon as possible.

2. Implement proper user authentication and access control measures to prevent unauthorized access to sensitive information.

References

1. UserPro Plugin for WordPress - Official Website
2. WordPress Vulnerability Database - CVE-2023-2448
3. CVE-2023-2448 - National Vulnerability Database
4. CVE-2023-2446 - National Vulnerability Database

In conclusion, CVE-2023-2448 is a severe security vulnerability affecting the UserPro plugin for WordPress, allowing unauthorized access to sensitive information and arbitrary shortcode execution. Website administrators using the plugin should take immediate action to update the plugin and implement proper access control measures to protect sensitive user information.

Timeline

Published on: 11/22/2023 16:15:08 UTC
Last modified on: 12/04/2023 17:38:31 UTC