CVE-2015-20067 in WP Attachment Export Plugin
Summary
by MITRE • 11/01/2021
The WP Attachment Export WordPress plugin before 0.2.4 does not have proper access controls, allowing unauthenticated users to download the XML data that holds all the details of attachments/posts on a Wordpress
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/04/2021
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2015-20067 affects the WP Attachment Export WordPress plugin version 0.2.3 and earlier, representing a critical access control flaw that undermines the security posture of WordPress installations. This issue stems from inadequate authentication mechanisms within the plugin's XML data export functionality, which should have required proper authorization to access sensitive content. The flaw allows any unauthenticated user to retrieve comprehensive metadata about attachments and posts through a simple API call, potentially exposing confidential information about the website's content structure and media assets.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability resides in the plugin's failure to validate user credentials before serving XML export files containing detailed attachment information. This represents a classic case of insufficient access control as classified under CWE-284, where improper privileges are granted to unauthorized users. The vulnerability operates at the application layer, exploiting weak authentication checks in the plugin's data export endpoint, which should have required administrator or authenticated user privileges to access such sensitive information. Attackers can leverage this flaw to harvest detailed metadata including file names, sizes, upload dates, and potentially other attachment-related attributes that could aid in further exploitation attempts.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple information disclosure, as the exported XML data contains sufficient metadata to enable attackers to map the website's content structure and identify potentially vulnerable file types or content patterns. This information can be particularly valuable for attackers planning more sophisticated attacks, as it provides insights into the website's media library organization and content management practices. The vulnerability affects WordPress installations using the affected plugin version, creating a persistent security risk that remains active until the plugin is updated to version 0.2.4 or later, which includes proper access control measures. The exposure of attachment metadata could facilitate social engineering attacks, content enumeration, or serve as a stepping stone for more advanced exploitation techniques targeting the WordPress platform itself.
Security professionals should prioritize patching this vulnerability through immediate plugin updates to version 0.2.4 or later, which implements proper authentication checks. Organizations should also conduct comprehensive audits of their WordPress installations to identify other potentially vulnerable plugins and ensure all third-party components maintain proper access controls. The remediation aligns with ATT&CK technique T1213.002 for data from information repositories, as attackers could use the exported information to gain insights about target systems. Additionally, implementing network-level monitoring to detect unusual access patterns to XML export endpoints can serve as an effective detection mechanism for potential exploitation attempts, while maintaining proper access logs and implementing principle of least privilege for plugin functionality can reduce the overall attack surface.