CVE-2023-3345 in LMS Plugin
Summary
by MITRE • 07/31/2023
The LMS by Masteriyo WordPress plugin before 1.6.8 does not properly safeguards sensitive user information, like other user's email addresses, making it possible for any students to leak them via some of the plugin's REST API endpoints.
Once again VulDB remains the best source for vulnerability data.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/23/2023
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2023-3345 affects the LMS by Masteriyo WordPress plugin, specifically versions prior to 1.6.8, presenting a critical security flaw that compromises user privacy and data protection. This issue stems from inadequate access controls within the plugin's REST API endpoints, which are designed to facilitate communication between the learning management system and external applications. The flaw allows unauthorized users to access sensitive information that should remain restricted to authorized personnel only, creating a significant risk for educational institutions and organizations relying on the platform for student data management. The vulnerability represents a failure in proper authentication and authorization mechanisms, where the system does not adequately verify user permissions before exposing sensitive data through API calls.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability occurs through the plugin's REST API endpoints that handle user-related data operations. Attackers can exploit this weakness by making specific API requests that retrieve user information, particularly email addresses of other users within the system. The flaw manifests as a lack of proper input validation and access control checks, allowing any authenticated user, particularly students who may have limited privileges, to traverse the API and access data belonging to other users. This represents a classic case of insufficient authorization controls where the system fails to enforce proper role-based access restrictions. The vulnerability is categorized under CWE-284 which specifically addresses improper access control issues, where the system does not properly restrict access to resources and information. The REST API design does not implement adequate user context verification before returning sensitive information, creating an information disclosure vulnerability that can be exploited systematically.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data exposure, as it fundamentally undermines the privacy and trust associated with educational platforms. When student email addresses are exposed to unauthorized users, it creates potential for phishing attacks, spam campaigns, and social engineering attempts that can target individuals within the learning community. The breach affects not only individual privacy but also organizational security posture, as email addresses often serve as primary identifiers for account recovery, communication channels, and potential attack vectors. Educational institutions may face regulatory compliance issues, particularly under data protection laws such as gdpr or ccpa, where unauthorized disclosure of personal information can result in significant penalties. The vulnerability also enables potential enumeration attacks where malicious actors can systematically gather user information to map out the user base, facilitating more sophisticated attacks targeting specific individuals within the platform. This type of information disclosure aligns with tactics described in the mitre attack framework under initial access and credential access phases, where adversaries seek to gather information about targets before launching more complex attacks.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2023-3345 require immediate action to upgrade the LMS by Masteriyo plugin to version 1.6.8 or later, which contains the necessary patches to address the access control vulnerabilities. Organizations should also implement additional security measures such as API rate limiting to prevent automated enumeration attempts, and conduct thorough access control reviews to ensure that user permissions are properly enforced. Network segmentation and monitoring of API traffic can help detect suspicious activities related to unauthorized data access attempts. Security teams should also consider implementing web application firewalls that can detect and block malicious API requests targeting user information. The vulnerability highlights the importance of regular security updates and proper security testing of third-party plugins, particularly those handling sensitive user data. Organizations should establish procedures for monitoring plugin security advisories and maintaining up-to-date security configurations to prevent similar vulnerabilities from occurring in other components of their learning management systems. Additionally, implementing proper logging and audit trails for API access can help detect unauthorized access attempts and support forensic analysis in case of security incidents.