CVE-2015-0902 in One SEO Pack Plugin
Summary
by MITRE
The Semper Fi All in One SEO Pack plugin before 2.2.6 for WordPress does not consider the presence of password protection during generation of the Meta Description field, which allows remote attackers to obtain sensitive information by reading HTML source code.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 12/01/2024
The Semper Fi All in One SEO Pack plugin for WordPress contains a critical information disclosure vulnerability that stems from inadequate handling of password-protected content during meta description generation. This vulnerability affects versions prior to 2.2.6 and represents a significant security flaw that directly violates fundamental principles of access control and information security. The flaw occurs when the plugin generates meta description fields for posts or pages that are protected by password authentication, failing to properly account for the protected status of the content during the meta generation process.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability involves the plugin's meta description generation routine not performing proper checks to determine whether the content being processed is password protected. When WordPress renders password-protected posts or pages, the content is typically hidden from unauthorized users, yet the SEO plugin continues to extract and incorporate this sensitive information into the meta description field that gets rendered in the HTML source code. This creates a situation where remote attackers can access information that should remain restricted, effectively bypassing the intended access controls through the metadata that is publicly visible. The vulnerability specifically manifests in the plugin's failure to implement proper access validation mechanisms before processing content for SEO metadata.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple information disclosure, as it creates a vector for attackers to gather potentially sensitive data that might include internal references, administrative details, or other confidential information present within password-protected content. This information leakage can be particularly damaging in environments where WordPress sites host sensitive business data, personal information, or proprietary content that should remain inaccessible to unauthorized users. The vulnerability enables attackers to perform reconnaissance activities by simply examining the HTML source code of affected pages, potentially uncovering details about the site's structure, content, or internal processes that would otherwise be protected by the password protection mechanisms. This aligns with attack patterns described in the attack technique matrix under credential access and information gathering categories.
Security professionals should note that this vulnerability directly relates to common weakness enumerations such as CWE-200, which covers information exposure, and CWE-284, which addresses improper access control. The flaw demonstrates poor input validation and access control implementation within the plugin's content processing pipeline, where the system fails to properly validate user authorization before exposing content in metadata fields. Organizations using this plugin should immediately implement mitigation strategies including updating to version 2.2.6 or later, reviewing access control configurations, and implementing additional monitoring for unauthorized information disclosure patterns. The vulnerability also highlights the importance of proper security testing for third-party plugins and the necessity of validating that security controls remain effective across all content processing pathways, particularly in environments where multiple security mechanisms are expected to work in concert to protect sensitive data.