CVE-2014-4726 in Newsletters
Summary
by MITRE
Unspecified vulnerability in the MailPoet Newsletters (wysija-newsletters) plugin before 2.6.8 for WordPress has unspecified impact and attack vectors.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/03/2017
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2014-4726 affects the MailPoet Newsletters plugin for WordPress, specifically versions prior to 2.6.8, representing a critical security oversight that could potentially compromise WordPress installations. This unspecified vulnerability within the wysija-newsletters plugin demonstrates the inherent risks associated with third-party WordPress extensions, where security flaws can create entry points for malicious actors targeting content management systems. The vulnerability exists within the plugin's codebase and represents a failure in proper input validation and access control mechanisms that are fundamental to secure application development practices.
The technical nature of this vulnerability remains unspecified in the CVE description, but based on the plugin's functionality and typical attack patterns targeting newsletter systems, this likely involves improper access controls or input sanitization issues. MailPoet Newsletters plugins typically handle user subscriptions, email campaigns, and administrative functions, making them attractive targets for attackers seeking to escalate privileges or execute unauthorized operations. The unspecified impact suggests that the vulnerability could potentially allow for privilege escalation, arbitrary code execution, or data manipulation within the WordPress environment. This type of vulnerability aligns with CWE-284 (Improper Access Control) and CWE-79 (Cross-site Scripting) categories, where inadequate security controls can lead to unauthorized access or data corruption within web applications.
The operational impact of CVE-2014-4726 extends beyond simple exploitation, as compromised MailPoet installations could serve as stepping stones for broader attacks within WordPress environments. Attackers leveraging this vulnerability could potentially gain administrative access to WordPress sites, manipulate newsletter subscriber data, or even use the compromised system as a launchpad for attacking other network resources. This vulnerability particularly affects WordPress installations where the MailPoet plugin is actively used for email marketing campaigns, making it a significant concern for businesses relying on email automation. The attack vectors typically involve exploiting weak access controls or input validation flaws that allow authenticated users with limited privileges to perform unauthorized actions or unauthenticated attackers to gain initial access through the plugin interface. This scenario aligns with ATT&CK techniques involving privilege escalation and initial access through web application vulnerabilities.
The remediation approach for CVE-2014-4726 requires immediate patching of the MailPoet Newsletters plugin to version 2.6.8 or later, which contains the necessary security fixes to address the unspecified vulnerability. System administrators should conduct thorough vulnerability assessments of their WordPress installations to identify all affected versions and ensure proper patch management processes are in place. Additionally, implementing network segmentation and monitoring for unusual administrative activities can help detect potential exploitation attempts. Organizations should also consider implementing web application firewalls and input validation controls to provide additional defense layers. The vulnerability highlights the importance of maintaining current plugin versions and following security best practices such as regular security audits, proper access control configurations, and maintaining up-to-date security tooling to protect against similar threats in the future.