CVE-2022-4972 in Download Monitor Plugin
Summary
by MITRE • 10/16/2024
The Download Monitor plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to authorization bypass due to a missing capability check on several REST-API routes related to reporting in versions up to, and including, 4.7.51. This makes it possible for unauthenticated attackers to view user data and other sensitive information intended for administrators.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/16/2024
The CVE-2022-4972 vulnerability affects the Download Monitor plugin for WordPress, specifically targeting versions up to and including 4.7.51. This security flaw represents a critical authorization bypass issue that undermines the plugin's access control mechanisms. The vulnerability stems from insufficient capability checks within the plugin's REST API endpoints, particularly those related to reporting functionality. Attackers can exploit this weakness to gain unauthorized access to sensitive user data and administrative information without proper authentication credentials. The impact extends beyond simple data exposure as it allows adversaries to potentially manipulate reporting data and access privileged information that should remain restricted to authorized administrators only.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability involves the absence of proper capability verification within the REST API routes that handle reporting functions. According to CWE-863, this manifests as an "Incorrect Authorization" issue where the application fails to properly verify that the requesting user possesses the necessary privileges to access specific resources. The Download Monitor plugin's REST API endpoints lack the required authorization checks that would normally validate whether a user has sufficient permissions to view or interact with reporting data. This missing validation creates a pathway for unauthenticated attackers to exploit the API endpoints and retrieve sensitive information that would typically be restricted to users with administrator-level privileges.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability significantly compromises the security posture of WordPress installations using the affected plugin version. The unauthorized access to user data and reporting information can lead to data breaches, privacy violations, and potential escalation of privileges within the affected systems. Attackers could leverage this vulnerability to gather intelligence about plugin usage patterns, user behavior, and potentially identify other system weaknesses. The impact is particularly severe because the vulnerability affects reporting functionality, which often contains detailed analytics and user interaction data that could be valuable for targeted attacks or further exploitation attempts.
The exploitation of CVE-2022-4972 aligns with ATT&CK technique T1078.004, which involves legitimate credentials gained through compromise of service accounts or API endpoints. Security teams should implement immediate mitigation strategies including updating to the latest plugin version where the capability checks have been properly implemented. Additionally, monitoring for unusual API access patterns and implementing network-level restrictions on REST API endpoints can provide additional layers of defense. Organizations should also conduct comprehensive security assessments of their WordPress installations to identify other potential vulnerabilities in third-party plugins that may share similar authorization bypass patterns. The vulnerability underscores the critical importance of proper access control implementation in web applications and the need for regular security updates to address known weaknesses in commonly used plugins.