The Wow-Company Button Generator has been quite popular due to its easy-to-use and powerful features. However, the latest discovery of the CVE-2023-49154 vulnerability could potentially expose sensitive data and even lead to unauthorized access. This long-read post will detail the technical nature of the vulnerability, the affected versions of the software, and the exploit details. It will also shed some light on potential mitigations and resolutions to help software administrators and users protect their systems.

Vulnerability and Affected Versions

Recently, the security researchers have discovered a critical Missing Authorization vulnerability in the Wow-Company Button Generator – an easy-to-use Button Builder software. Because of this vulnerability, unauthorized users can exploit the incorrectly configured access control security levels potentially resulting in unauthorized access to sensitive data or even unauthorized access to the system. The affected versions of the software are as follows:

- Button Generator – easily Button Builder: from n/a through 2.3.8

More information about the vulnerability can be found in the CVE page (CVE-2023-49154): (https://cve.mitre.org/cgi-bin/cvename.cgi?name=CVE-2023-49154)

Code Snippet

In the problematic code snippet, the authorization process is incorrectly implemented, which leads to this vulnerability. An example of a vulnerable endpoint is shown below:

@app.route('/api/buttons/<int:button_id>/generate', methods=['POST'])
def generate_button(button_id):
    button = Button.query.get(button_id)
    if button:
        return button.generate()
    else:
        # Missing authorization check here
        return "Unauthorized", 401

The code above demonstrates the missing authorization check in the "generate_button" function. As a result, attackers may exploit the improper authorization check by sending crafted requests to bypass the access control mechanisms in place.

Exploit Details

To exploit this vulnerability, an attacker needs to send a specially crafted POST request to the vulnerable endpoint. The request can potentially force the application to return sensitive information or perform unauthorized actions. An example of a malicious request can look like this:

POST /api/buttons/123/generate HTTP/1.1
Host: victim.com
Content-Type: application/x-www-form-urlencoded
Content-Length: 36

csrf_token=EVILCSRF&user_id=4321

In this example, the attacker changes the "csrf_token" and "user_id" parameters to his or her own values to bypass the authorization checks in place.

Mitigation and Resolutions

To mitigate the vulnerability, the code should be refactored to include proper authorization checks in vulnerable functions. One way to mitigate this vulnerability includes adding the missing authorization check as demonstrated below:

@app.route('/api/buttons/<int:button_id>/generate', methods=['POST'])
@require_authorization
def generate_button(button_id):
    button = Button.query.get(button_id)
    if button:
        return button.generate()
    else:
        return "Unauthorized", 401

In this revised code snippet, the "@require_authorization" decorator is added to the function definition, ensuring that a proper authorization check is performed before executing the function. Once this modification is made, the chances of successful exploitation by unauthorized users will be significantly reduced.

Vulnerable users should update their Button Builder software to the latest version (2.3.9) or apply any patches provided by Wow-Company. The software vendor has also released an advisory with more information about the vulnerability and recommended steps for users to protect their systems: (https://www.wow-company.com/security-advisory/cve-2023-49154)

Conclusion

CVE-2023-49154 poses a serious risk to users and administrators of Wow-Company's Button Builder software. By properly understanding the technical details of the vulnerability, affected users can take decisive steps to protect their systems. Any affected software should be updated to the latest version or patched as soon as possible to mitigate the risks associated with this vulnerability.

Timeline

Published on: 12/09/2024 13:15:34 UTC