CVE-2023-4023 in All Users Messenger Plugin
Summary
by MITRE • 08/30/2023
The All Users Messenger WordPress plugin through 1.24 does not prevent non-administrator users from deleting messages from the all-users messenger.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/01/2023
The CVE-2023-4023 vulnerability affects the All Users Messenger WordPress plugin version 1.24 and earlier, representing a critical access control flaw that undermines the security posture of WordPress installations. This vulnerability stems from inadequate permission validation within the plugin's message deletion functionality, allowing unauthorized users to perform administrative actions typically restricted to privileged roles. The flaw exists in the plugin's core logic where it fails to properly verify user roles and capabilities before executing message deletion operations, creating an exploitable path for privilege escalation.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability resides in the plugin's message handling mechanisms where it does not enforce proper capability checks before processing deletion requests. When a user attempts to delete a message through the plugin's interface, the system should verify that the requesting user possesses the necessary administrative privileges or specific capabilities required for such operations. However, the All Users Messenger plugin bypasses this critical validation step, enabling any authenticated user regardless of their role level to delete messages intended for other users. This represents a direct violation of the principle of least privilege and demonstrates a fundamental flaw in the plugin's authorization model that aligns with CWE-284 Access Control Issues.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple message deletion capabilities, as it creates a pathway for potential data manipulation and information disclosure attacks. An attacker with access to a non-administrator account can exploit this vulnerability to remove important communications, potentially disrupting user workflows and undermining trust in the messaging system. The vulnerability particularly affects environments where the plugin is used for internal communications, support ticketing, or collaborative workflows where message integrity is critical. From an attacker's perspective, this flaw provides an easy method to degrade service availability or manipulate communication channels without requiring elevated privileges.
Security practitioners should consider this vulnerability in the context of broader ATT&CK framework categories including privilege escalation and defense evasion techniques. The flaw enables attackers to perform unauthorized actions that could be used to hide malicious activities or disrupt legitimate user communications. Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including plugin updates to versions that address the access control issues, or alternatively applying custom code patches that enforce proper capability checks. Additionally, administrators should review user role assignments and consider implementing additional monitoring controls to detect unauthorized message deletion activities. The vulnerability highlights the importance of proper input validation and access control implementation in WordPress plugins, emphasizing the need for security reviews of third-party components before deployment in production environments.