CVE-2023-45649 in Appointment Hour Booking Plugin
Summary
by MITRE • 01/02/2025
Missing Authorization vulnerability in CodePeople Appointment Hour Booking allows Exploiting Incorrectly Configured Access Control Security Levels.This issue affects Appointment Hour Booking: from n/a through 1.4.23.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/02/2025
The CVE-2023-45649 vulnerability represents a critical authorization flaw within the CodePeople Appointment Hour Booking plugin, specifically impacting versions prior to 1.4.23. This vulnerability falls under the category of incorrectly configured access control security levels, creating a scenario where unauthorized users can exploit the system's permission mechanisms to gain access to restricted functionalities. The issue stems from improper validation of user roles and permissions within the booking system, allowing attackers to bypass intended access controls that should restrict certain operations to authenticated administrators or specific user groups.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability manifests through insufficient validation checks during API endpoint access and administrative function calls within the plugin's codebase. Attackers can exploit this weakness by crafting malicious requests that attempt to access administrative features or modify booking data without proper authentication credentials. The flaw exists in the plugin's core authorization logic where user privileges are not properly verified before executing sensitive operations, creating a direct pathway for privilege escalation attacks. This misconfiguration allows malicious actors to perform actions such as modifying existing appointments, deleting booking records, or accessing confidential customer data that should only be available to authorized personnel.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data exposure, creating potential for significant disruption and data integrity compromise within appointment booking systems. Organizations relying on the affected plugin versions may experience unauthorized modifications to their scheduling systems, leading to service disruptions, customer data breaches, and potential financial losses. The vulnerability affects not only the availability and integrity of booking data but also undermines the confidentiality of customer information stored within the system. Attackers could exploit this flaw to manipulate appointment schedules, create false bookings, or access sensitive customer details, potentially leading to identity theft or service fraud scenarios that could damage organizational reputation and result in regulatory compliance violations.
Security professionals should implement immediate mitigation strategies including upgrading to version 1.4.24 or later where the authorization flaw has been addressed through proper access control validation. The fix typically involves implementing robust user role verification mechanisms, ensuring that all administrative endpoints require proper authentication tokens, and establishing clear permission boundaries for different user types. Organizations should also conduct comprehensive security assessments of their plugin installations to identify any additional misconfigurations that might compound the risk. From an att&ck framework perspective, this vulnerability maps to privilege escalation techniques and credential access phases, while the underlying weakness aligns with cwe-285, which addresses improper authorization in software systems. Regular security monitoring and access control reviews should be implemented to prevent similar misconfigurations from occurring in other system components, particularly in web applications that handle sensitive user data and administrative functions.