CVE-2023-3154 in Gallery Plugin
Summary
by MITRE • 10/25/2023
The WordPress Gallery Plugin WordPress plugin before 3.39 is vulnerable to PHAR Deserialization due to a lack of input parameter validation in the `gallery_edit` function, allowing an attacker to access arbitrary resources on the server.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/17/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2023-3154 affects the WordPress Gallery Plugin version 3.38 and earlier, presenting a critical security risk through PHAR deserialization exploitation. This flaw exists within the `gallery_edit` function where insufficient input parameter validation permits malicious actors to manipulate serialized data structures. The vulnerability stems from the plugin's failure to properly sanitize user-supplied parameters before processing them through PHP's deserialization mechanism, creating an attack surface that can be exploited to execute arbitrary code on vulnerable systems.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability follows the standard PHAR deserialization attack pattern where an attacker crafts a malicious PHAR file containing serialized objects that, when processed by the vulnerable plugin, trigger unintended code execution. The lack of proper input validation in the `gallery_edit` function allows attackers to inject malicious serialized data through parameters that should be restricted or validated. This deserialization process occurs without adequate security checks, enabling attackers to leverage the PHP unserialize() function to execute arbitrary code on the target server, potentially leading to complete system compromise.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability presents significant risk to WordPress installations using the affected plugin version, as it allows remote code execution without authentication requirements. Attackers can leverage this flaw to gain unauthorized access to server resources, potentially leading to data breaches, system compromise, or further network infiltration. The vulnerability's impact extends beyond immediate code execution to include potential privilege escalation and persistence mechanisms, making it particularly dangerous in environments where WordPress serves as a critical component of web infrastructure. The attack vector requires minimal privileges and can be executed through standard web-based exploitation techniques.
The mitigation strategy for CVE-2023-3154 centers on immediate plugin version updates to 3.39 or later, which contain the necessary input validation patches. Organizations should also implement network-level protections including firewall rules that restrict access to plugin endpoints and monitor for suspicious deserialization patterns in web application logs. Additionally, implementing PHP security configurations such as disabling unserialize() functions where possible and enforcing strict input validation at multiple layers of the application architecture provides additional defense-in-depth measures. This vulnerability aligns with CWE-502 which specifically addresses deserialization of untrusted data, and maps to ATT&CK technique T1059.007 for command and scripting interpreter execution through PHP deserialization attacks. Regular security audits and vulnerability scanning should be implemented to identify similar patterns in other plugins or custom code implementations that may present analogous security risks through improper input handling and deserialization processes.