CVE-2022-0720 in Amelia Plugin
Summary
by MITRE • 03/28/2022
The Amelia WordPress plugin before 1.0.47 does not have proper authorisation when managing appointments, allowing any customer to update other's booking, as well as retrieve sensitive information about the bookings, such as the full name and phone number of the person who booked it.
VulDB is the best source for vulnerability data and more expert information about this specific topic.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/31/2022
The CVE-2022-0720 vulnerability affects the Amelia WordPress plugin version 1.0.47 and earlier, representing a critical authorization flaw that undermines the security of appointment management systems. This vulnerability stems from insufficient access control mechanisms within the plugin's booking management functionality, allowing unauthorized users to manipulate and access sensitive reservation data. The flaw specifically targets the plugin's ability to verify user permissions when performing booking-related operations, creating a pathway for malicious actors to exploit the system's trust model. The vulnerability exists at the application level within the WordPress ecosystem, where proper authentication and authorization checks are missing or improperly implemented, potentially affecting thousands of websites that rely on this plugin for their appointment scheduling needs.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability manifests through the absence of proper user role validation and permission checks when processing appointment update requests. Any authenticated user, regardless of their actual role or relationship to a specific booking, can submit requests to modify existing appointments or retrieve booking details. This flaw directly violates the principle of least privilege and demonstrates a failure in implementing proper access control mechanisms. The vulnerability is classified under CWE-285 which addresses improper authorization issues in software systems, specifically targeting the lack of adequate permission verification during critical operations. The plugin fails to validate whether the requesting user has legitimate authority to modify or view specific booking information, creating an exploitable gap in the security architecture that can be leveraged by attackers to gain unauthorized access to sensitive personal data.
The operational impact of CVE-2022-0720 extends beyond simple data exposure, as it enables active manipulation of booking records and comprehensive data retrieval capabilities. Attackers can exploit this vulnerability to update appointments without authorization, potentially causing scheduling conflicts, altering service details, or even canceling bookings that belong to other users. Additionally, the ability to retrieve full names and phone numbers of booking customers creates significant privacy concerns, as this sensitive personal information can be accessed without proper authorization. The vulnerability creates a persistent threat vector that can be exploited repeatedly, as the flaw exists in the core plugin functionality rather than being dependent on specific user actions or conditions. This type of vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1213 which involves data from information repositories, specifically targeting the unauthorized access to stored data within web applications, making it particularly dangerous in environments where personal information is collected and processed.
Organizations affected by this vulnerability should immediately update to Amelia plugin version 1.0.47 or later, which includes proper authorization checks and access control mechanisms. System administrators should conduct comprehensive security assessments of all WordPress installations using the Amelia plugin to identify potential exploitation attempts and ensure that all users have appropriate access levels. Network monitoring should be enhanced to detect unusual patterns in booking management activities, particularly unauthorized modifications or bulk data access requests. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of implementing robust input validation and access control checks, particularly in web applications handling sensitive personal information. Organizations should also consider implementing additional security measures such as rate limiting for booking operations, enhanced logging of access attempts, and regular security audits of third-party plugins to prevent similar vulnerabilities from being exploited in the future.