CVE-2019-9574 in WP Human Resource Management Plugin
Summary
by MITRE
The WP Human Resource Management plugin before 2.2.6 for WordPress does not ensure that a leave modification occurs in the context of the Administrator or HR Manager role.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/26/2023
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2019-9574 affects the WP Human Resource Management plugin for WordPress, specifically versions prior to 2.2.6. This issue represents a critical access control flaw that undermines the security posture of organizations relying on the plugin for human resources management. The vulnerability stems from insufficient role validation mechanisms within the plugin's leave modification functionality, creating a scenario where unauthorized users can manipulate leave records without proper authorization. The affected plugin serves as a business-critical component for managing employee data, time-off requests, and HR workflows within WordPress environments, making this vulnerability particularly concerning for enterprise deployments.
The technical flaw manifests in the plugin's failure to implement proper role-based access controls when processing leave modification requests. According to CWE-285, this vulnerability constitutes an inadequate authorization check, where the system does not verify that the requesting user possesses sufficient privileges to perform the requested action. The vulnerability allows attackers with lower-privilege accounts to exploit the leave modification functionality and potentially alter employee leave balances, approve unauthorized time-off requests, or manipulate leave history records. This weakness directly violates the principle of least privilege and demonstrates a failure in implementing proper access control mechanisms within the application's authentication and authorization framework.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data manipulation, potentially enabling attackers to disrupt organizational workflows and compromise sensitive employee information. Attackers could abuse this vulnerability to approve fraudulent leave requests, manipulate leave balances for personal gain, or create false leave records that could affect payroll processing and workforce management. The implications are particularly severe in environments where the plugin is used for compliance reporting, as manipulated leave records could lead to regulatory violations and audit failures. This vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1078 which covers valid accounts and credential access, as it allows unauthorized privilege escalation through legitimate plugin functionality without requiring additional credential compromise.
Organizations should immediately implement mitigations including updating to WP Human Resource Management plugin version 2.2.6 or later, which contains the necessary authorization checks. Additionally, administrators should review and restrict plugin permissions, implement network segmentation to limit access to the WordPress installation, and conduct thorough security audits of all installed plugins. The vulnerability highlights the importance of proper input validation and role-based access control implementation, as outlined in OWASP Top 10 2017 category A05: Security Misconfiguration. Regular security assessments and monitoring of plugin updates are essential to prevent exploitation of similar vulnerabilities in other WordPress components, as this flaw demonstrates the critical need for comprehensive access control validation within web applications.