CVE-2023-32585 in Portfolio Gallery Plugin
Summary
by MITRE • 12/13/2024
Missing Authorization vulnerability in Total-Soft Portfolio Gallery – Responsive Image Gallery allows Exploiting Incorrectly Configured Access Control Security Levels.This issue affects Portfolio Gallery – Responsive Image Gallery: from n/a through 1.4.6.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 12/13/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2023-32585 represents a critical missing authorization flaw within the Total-Soft Portfolio Gallery plugin for WordPress, specifically impacting versions ranging from an unspecified initial version through 1.4.6. This security weakness stems from incorrectly configured access control mechanisms that fail to properly validate user permissions before granting access to sensitive administrative functions. The issue manifests as a failure to enforce proper authorization checks, allowing unauthorized users to bypass normal security boundaries and potentially execute privileged operations.
This vulnerability falls under the CWE-863 category of Incorrect Authorization, which is classified as a fundamental access control weakness in software systems. The flaw enables attackers to exploit the plugin's administrative interfaces without proper authentication, creating a pathway for privilege escalation attacks. The affected plugin's responsive image gallery functionality includes administrative features that should only be accessible to authorized administrators, yet the missing authorization checks allow malicious actors to manipulate these functions. The vulnerability's impact is particularly concerning given that it affects a widely used WordPress plugin, potentially exposing numerous websites to unauthorized modifications and data manipulation.
The operational implications of this vulnerability extend beyond simple unauthorized access, as it can enable attackers to modify gallery configurations, upload malicious content, or potentially gain deeper system access through the compromised plugin. Attackers exploiting this flaw can manipulate image galleries, alter access permissions, or even use the compromised plugin as a foothold for further attacks within the WordPress environment. The vulnerability's persistence across multiple versions indicates a systemic issue in the plugin's security architecture rather than a simple one-time coding error, suggesting that organizations using affected versions face prolonged exposure to this risk.
Mitigation strategies should focus on immediate plugin updates to versions that address the authorization flaw, though administrators should also implement additional security measures such as role-based access controls, regular security audits, and monitoring for unauthorized administrative activities. The vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of proper access control implementation in web applications and aligns with ATT&CK technique T1078 for Valid Accounts and T1548.002 for Abuse of Cloud Infrastructure, as unauthorized access to administrative functions can lead to broader system compromise. Organizations should also consider implementing web application firewalls and restricting administrative access to trusted IP addresses as additional protective measures against exploitation of this class of vulnerability.