CVE-2023-0693 in Metform Elementor Contact Form Builder Plugin
Summary
by MITRE • 06/09/2023
The Metform Elementor Contact Form Builder for WordPress is vulnerable to Information Disclosure via the 'mf_transaction_id' shortcode in versions up to, and including, 3.3.1. This allows authenticated attackers, with subscriber-level capabilities or above to obtain sensitive information about the transaction ids of arbitrary form submissions that included payment.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/07/2023
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2023-0693 affects the Metform Elementor Contact Form Builder plugin for WordPress, specifically impacting versions up to and including 3.3.1. This security flaw represents a critical information disclosure vulnerability that undermines the confidentiality of payment-related data within WordPress environments. The vulnerability exists within the plugin's handling of the 'mf_transaction_id' shortcode functionality, which is designed to provide transaction identifiers for form submissions that include payment processing capabilities. Attackers exploiting this vulnerability can gain unauthorized access to sensitive payment transaction information that should remain protected.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation and access control mechanisms within the plugin's shortcode processing logic. When the 'mf_transaction_id' shortcode is utilized, the plugin fails to properly verify user permissions or sanitize output data, allowing authenticated users with subscriber-level privileges or higher to access transaction identifiers from arbitrary form submissions. This represents a clear violation of the principle of least privilege and demonstrates insufficient authorization checks that should be implemented for sensitive payment data. The vulnerability enables attackers to obtain transaction IDs without proper authorization, potentially exposing payment processing information that could be used for further attacks or fraudulent activities.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability creates significant risks for WordPress sites utilizing the Metform plugin for payment processing. Attackers with subscriber-level access can potentially correlate transaction IDs with payment details, enabling them to track payment flows and potentially identify patterns in user payment behaviors. This information disclosure could facilitate various malicious activities including fraud detection circumvention, targeted attacks against payment processing systems, or even identity theft through payment transaction correlation. The vulnerability affects not only the immediate confidentiality of payment data but also potentially undermines the overall security posture of WordPress installations that rely on proper access controls for payment processing functionality.
The security implications of this vulnerability align with CWE-200, which addresses improper exposure of sensitive information, and can be categorized under ATT&CK technique T1566 for credential access and T1071 for application layer protocol usage. Organizations running affected versions of the Metform plugin should immediately implement mitigations including updating to patched versions, implementing additional access controls, and monitoring for unauthorized access attempts. The vulnerability highlights the importance of proper input validation and access control implementation in web applications, particularly those handling sensitive payment information. Security teams should also conduct thorough audits of other plugins and themes to identify similar information disclosure vulnerabilities that could compromise payment processing systems. Additionally, organizations should consider implementing network monitoring solutions to detect anomalous access patterns that might indicate exploitation attempts against this vulnerability.