CVE-2023-47178 - Addressing Path Traversal Vulnerability in POSIMYTH Innovation's The Plus Addons for Elementor Pro

A critical Path Traversal vulnerability, identified as CVE-2023-47178, has been discovered in POSIMYTH Innovation's The Plus Addons for Elementor Pro WordPress plugin. This plugin is a popular add-on that extends the capabilities of the Elementor page builder. This vulnerability allows attackers to carry out PHP Local File Inclusion, leading to unauthorized access to sensitive information or execution of arbitrary code on the server.

In this detailed post, we will explain the vulnerability, discuss its impact, show a code snippet illustrating the issue, and provide links to original references. We will also cover potential solutions and mitigations for users of The Plus Addons for Elementor Pro.

Affected Software: The Plus Addons for Elementor Pro

- Affected Versions: from n/a up to and including 5.2.8

Description

The vulnerability stems from the plugin's insecure handling of unsanitized input. Specifically, it does not properly validate or limit the user-supplied pathnames, allowing attackers to access files on servers beyond the intended directory restrictions. Attackers can manipulate the plugin's input and traverse the file system, ultimately enabling the inclusion of PHP files from arbitrary locations on the server.

Here's a simple code snippet illustrating the insecure handling of pathnames

<?php
// Sample code only, insecure and not for production use
$file = $_GET['file'];
include("../uploads/$file.php");
?>

In this example, the plugin retrieves the 'file' parameter from the HTTP request and directly concatenates it with the intended directory path for inclusion. This insecure practice enables attackers to manipulate the file parameter and traverse the filesystem, as shown below:

http://example.com?file=../../../etc/passwd

Exploit Details

An attacker can exploit this vulnerability by crafting malicious HTTP requests containing crafted path traversal sequences (e.g., '/../'), which they can then submit to the vulnerable application. Successful exploits can result in unauthorized access to sensitive information, execution of arbitrary code or commands, or even complete server compromise.

References

1. Original advisory from the Plugin Vulnerabilities team: Link to Advisory
2. National Vulnerability Database (NVD) entry for CVE-2023-47178: Link to NVD Entry
3. The Plus Addons for Elementor Pro plugin homepage: Link to Plugin Homepage

Mitigation and Solutions

If you are using The Plus Addons for Elementor Pro on your website, it is crucial to take the following steps to mitigate the risk of exploitation:

1. Update the plugin to the latest version. The vulnerability has been addressed in version 5.2.9 onwards. Download and install the most recent release to protect your site.
2. If you are unable to update the plugin immediately, consider using a Web Application Firewall (WAF) to filter out potential malicious requests attempting to exploit the vulnerability.
3. Strengthen your server's security by applying security best practices, regularly monitoring logs, and restricting access to sensitive files or directories.
4. Educate your development team about secure coding practices and the dangers of unsanitized input. Ensure they understand how to prevent vulnerabilities like Path Traversal from happening in the future.

In conclusion, it is essential to stay up-to-date with the latest security patches and follow best practices to protect your website, servers, and sensitive information from potential attackers. Regularly review and monitor your website and its plugins, and take proactive measures to mitigate risks.

Timeline

Published on: 05/17/2024 09:15:10 UTC
Last modified on: 06/06/2024 12:44:48 UTC