CVE-2020-36710 in WPS Hide Login Plugin
Summary
by MITRE • 06/07/2023
The WPS Hide Login plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to login page disclosure even when the settings of the plugin are set to hide the login page making it possible for unauthenticated attackers to brute force credentials on sites in versions up to, and including, 1.5.4.2.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/05/2023
The WPS Hide Login plugin vulnerability represents a critical security flaw in WordPress authentication systems that undermines the intended protection mechanisms designed to obscure login endpoints. This vulnerability affects versions up to and including 1.5.4.2, where the plugin's configuration to hide the login page fails to provide adequate protection against unauthorized access attempts. The flaw exists in the plugin's implementation of access control measures, creating a scenario where attackers can still identify and target the login interface despite explicit settings to conceal it. The vulnerability specifically impacts the plugin's ability to properly restrict access to WordPress login pages, allowing malicious actors to bypass the intended obfuscation techniques that should prevent easy identification of authentication endpoints.
The technical nature of this vulnerability stems from improper implementation of access control and authentication flow management within the plugin's codebase. When users configure the plugin to hide the login page, the underlying system should ensure that all paths leading to authentication functionality become inaccessible or sufficiently obscured to prevent automated discovery. However, the flaw allows attackers to enumerate or directly access login endpoints through alternative methods that circumvent the plugin's intended hiding mechanisms. This represents a failure in the plugin's security architecture where the principle of least privilege is not properly enforced, and access controls are bypassed through predictable or discoverable patterns in the plugin's response handling.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe and directly enables credential brute force attacks against WordPress installations. Attackers can systematically attempt multiple username and password combinations against the exposed login endpoint without requiring prior knowledge of the specific login path. This vulnerability effectively nullifies the security benefits that administrators expect from using the plugin to hide their login interfaces, creating an attack surface that remains accessible to automated tools and malicious actors. The ability to perform credential stuffing and brute force attacks against hidden login pages significantly increases the risk of unauthorized account access, potentially leading to complete system compromise and data breaches.
Security practitioners should consider this vulnerability in the context of broader access control and authentication security principles, particularly those outlined in the CWE (Common Weakness Enumeration) catalog under weaknesses related to improper access control and authentication bypass mechanisms. The vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK tactics that involve credential access and privilege escalation, specifically targeting the initial access phase where attackers seek to establish footholds through compromised credentials. Organizations using this plugin should immediately implement mitigations including immediate plugin updates, implementation of additional authentication layers such as two-factor authentication, and deployment of rate limiting and IP blocking measures to prevent automated attack attempts. The vulnerability also highlights the importance of proper security testing and validation of access control mechanisms, as the plugin's failure to properly hide login pages demonstrates a critical gap in its security implementation that could be exploited in various attack scenarios.