CVE-2023-41243 in Backup and Migration Plugin
Summary
by MITRE • 05/17/2024
Improper Privilege Management vulnerability in WPvivid Team WPvivid Backup and Migration allows Privilege Escalation.This issue affects WPvivid Backup and Migration: from n/a through 0.9.90.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/17/2024
The CVE-2023-41243 vulnerability represents a critical improper privilege management flaw within the WPvivid Team WPvivid Backup and Migration plugin for WordPress systems. This security weakness enables unauthorized privilege escalation, allowing attackers to gain elevated access rights beyond their intended permissions. The vulnerability specifically impacts versions of the plugin ranging from the initial release through version 0.9.90, indicating a prolonged period during which this flaw remained unaddressed. The WPvivid plugin serves as a backup and migration tool for wordpress websites, making it a potentially attractive target for attackers seeking to compromise entire web applications through this specific weakness.
The technical root cause of this vulnerability stems from inadequate privilege validation mechanisms within the plugin's codebase. When users perform backup or migration operations through the WPvivid interface, the system fails to properly verify whether the requesting user possesses sufficient privileges to execute certain administrative functions. This misconfiguration allows lower-privileged users, such as subscribers or contributors, to potentially invoke functions that should only be accessible to administrators or site owners. The flaw typically manifests when the application does not adequately check user roles or capabilities before processing sensitive operations, creating a pathway for unauthorized privilege elevation through crafted requests or manipulated parameters.
The operational impact of CVE-2023-41243 extends beyond simple access control violations, as it can lead to complete system compromise when exploited. An attacker who successfully exploits this vulnerability can perform unauthorized backup operations, potentially accessing sensitive data stored within the backup files. Additionally, the privilege escalation could enable malicious actors to modify critical system configurations, inject malware into backup archives, or even delete important website data. This vulnerability directly aligns with CWE-276, which specifically addresses inadequate privilege management in software systems, and can be categorized under ATT&CK technique T1078 for valid accounts and privilege escalation. The implications are particularly severe for WordPress installations where the plugin is actively used, as backups often contain sensitive user information, database credentials, and other confidential data that could be exposed through this vulnerability.
Organizations and website administrators should immediately update their WPvivid plugin installations to versions beyond 0.9.90 to mitigate this vulnerability. The recommended mitigation strategy includes implementing strict access controls and user role management, ensuring that only trusted administrators have access to backup and migration functions. Security monitoring should be enhanced to detect unusual backup or migration activities that might indicate exploitation attempts. Additionally, regular security audits of installed plugins and themes should be conducted to identify similar privilege management weaknesses. Network segmentation and firewall rules can provide additional defense-in-depth measures to limit access to backup functionality. The vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of proper privilege management in web applications and highlights the need for regular security assessments of third-party plugins that handle sensitive system operations, as outlined in industry best practices for secure software development and maintenance.