CVE-2023-46197 - Uncovering the Path Traversal Vulnerability in Popup by Supsystic

Recently, a new vulnerability has been discovered that affects the popular WordPress plugin Popup by Supsystic. The vulnerability, dubbed CVE-2023-46197, exists due to improper limitation of a pathname to a restricted directory, also known as 'Path Traversal'. In this post, we will dive deep into the details of this vulnerability, including the code snippets that contribute to the issue, links to original references, and a breakdown of its exploit mechanism. Our aim is to spread awareness and help users protect their websites against potential attacks.

Plugin Background

Popup by Supsystic is a widely used WordPress plugin that allows website owners to create and manage various types of popups, including subscription forms, contact forms, and announcements. This plugin is an essential tool for many website administrators, as it helps them increase their site's conversion rates and engage users effectively.

Vulnerability Details

This vulnerability affects Popup by Supsystic versions from (n/a) through 1.10.19. The issue arises due to the improper handling of user-supplied input when traversing the file system. Specifically, the plugin fails to sufficiently sanitize user input, which can lead to the unauthorized disclosure of sensitive files and arbitrary code execution on the server.

Exploit Mechanism

An attacker can exploit this vulnerability by crafting a URL containing a malicious payload and inducing a user with administrative privileges to visit it. Once the malformed URL is accessed, the plugin's code is executed, leading to path traversal and potential arbitrary code execution.

The following code snippet demonstrates the key portion of the plugin's code responsible for the vulnerability:

// Vulnerable code in Popup by Supsystic
function processRequest() {
    $file = $_GET['file'];
    if (file_exists($file)) {
        require_once($file);
    }
}

In the above snippet, the $_GET['file'] variable remains unsanitized, allowing an attacker to manipulate the input and traverse the file system.

Mitigation Steps

To protect your website against this vulnerability, it is recommended to update the Popup by Supsystic plugin to the latest version (1.10.20 or higher). The developers have recently released a patch for the plugin that addresses this issue, so updating should be a quick and effective solution.

For more details about this vulnerability, please refer to the following original sources

1. CVE (Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures) page for CVE-2023-46197
2. National Vulnerability Database (NVD) entry for CVE-2023-46197
3. Supsystic's changelog detailing the fix

Conclusion

CVE-2023-46197 is a critical security issue that can lead to unauthorized access and arbitrary code execution on websites using vulnerable versions of Popup by Supsystic. In this post, we have outlined the details of the vulnerability, its exploit mechanism, and recommended mitigation steps. It's essential to always keep your plugins up-to-date and periodically check for security updates to maintain a secure and reliable website.

Timeline

Published on: 05/17/2024 09:15:09 UTC
Last modified on: 06/04/2024 17:22:14 UTC