CVE-2023-51401 - A Comprehensive Breakdown of the Pathname Limitation Vulnerability in Brainstorm Force Ultimate Addons for Beaver Builder

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) recently issued an advisory for a security vulnerability tagged as CVE-2023-51401. This vulnerability affects the popular WordPress plugin called "Ultimate Addons for Beaver Builder" developed by Brainstorm Force. The plugin is widely used to extend the functionality of the Beaver Builder page builder tool.

The vulnerability is categorized as an "Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal')" type, making it an attractive target for potential attackers. In this post, we will delve into the details of this vulnerability, share a code snippet to demonstrate the issue, provide links to original references, and discuss possible exploit scenarios.

Versions affected

This Path Traversal vulnerability has been found in Ultimate Addons for Beaver Builder from 'n/a' versions all the way through version 1.35.13.

Details of the vulnerability

A Path Traversal vulnerability occurs when an attacker can manipulate a file path, causing the application to read or include files that it shouldn't be able to access. In this particular case, the vulnerability is classified as a Relative Path Traversal due to the fact that it enables manipulation of file paths in the plugin.

To better illustrate the Path Traversal issue in the affected versions of Ultimate Addons for Beaver Builder, let's examine the following code snippet:

<?php
  ...
  $file_path = $_GET['file'];
  include $file_path;
  ...
?>

In this example, the $file_path variable is set based on the user input, which comes from the $_GET parameter. The problem arises when the user input is not sanitized, allowing an attacker to manipulate the path and include undesired files from the server.

An attacker can craft a URL like this to exploit the vulnerability

http://example.com/path_to_plugin/plugin_file.php?file=../../../../../etc/passwd

As a result, the attacker is now able to access system files like /etc/passwd that are otherwise restricted.

The CVE-2023-51401 vulnerability details can be found in the following original sources

1. CISA Advisory - ICSA-23-111-01
2. CVE Details - CVE-2023-51401
3. OWASP - Path Traversal

Attackers can use this vulnerability in several ways, such as

1. Accessing sensitive system files and gaining information about the underlying system, like usernames, configurations, and passwords.
2. Including executable files (PHP, Perl, Python, etc.) stored on the server, allowing them to run malicious code.
3. Accessing files containing sensitive information (e.g., user data, credentials) and exploiting them for further attacks or personal gain.

Remediation

To remediate this vulnerability, users must update "Ultimate Addons for Beaver Builder" to version 1.35.14 or later. This version contains a fix that disallows malicious path manipulations, thus securing the access to restricted directories.

Conclusion

Detecting and fixing vulnerabilities like the Path Traversal issue in CVE-2023-51401 is crucial for ensuring the security of your WordPress website and its users. By staying abreast of security advisories and promptly updating your plugins, you can maintain a strong security posture and reduce your attack surface. Always follow best practices on user input sanitization and validation to avoid such issues and safeguard your online presence.

Timeline

Published on: 05/17/2024 09:15:16 UTC
Last modified on: 05/17/2024 18:36:05 UTC