CVE-2023-45809 in wagtail
Summary
by MITRE • 10/25/2023
Wagtail is an open source content management system built on Django. A user with a limited-permission editor account for the Wagtail admin can make a direct URL request to the admin view that handles bulk actions on user accounts. While authentication rules prevent the user from making any changes, the error message discloses the display names of user accounts, and by modifying URL parameters, the user can retrieve the display name for any user. The vulnerability is not exploitable by an ordinary site visitor without access to the Wagtail admin. Patched versions have been released as Wagtail 4.1.8 (LTS), 5.0.5 and 5.1.3. The fix is also included in Release Candidate 1 of the forthcoming Wagtail 5.2 release. Users are advised to upgrade. There are no known workarounds for this vulnerability.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/11/2023
This vulnerability exists within Wagtail, an open source content management system built on the Django framework, where a user with limited-permission editor access to the Wagtail admin interface can exploit a flaw in the bulk user account management functionality. The technical flaw resides in the administrative view that handles bulk actions on user accounts, which fails to properly validate user permissions when processing direct URL requests. While authentication mechanisms correctly prevent unauthorized modifications to user accounts, the system's error handling reveals sensitive information through disclosure of display names associated with user accounts. This information disclosure occurs because the application does not adequately sanitize its error responses to prevent exposure of user account details.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is significant despite its limited exploitability, as it constitutes a information disclosure weakness that violates fundamental security principles of least privilege and defense in depth. An attacker with access to the Wagtail admin interface can leverage this vulnerability to enumerate user accounts by manipulating URL parameters, effectively creating a user enumeration attack vector that could aid in subsequent exploitation attempts. The vulnerability is classified under CWE-200, which addresses Information Exposure, and aligns with ATT&CK technique T1213.002 for Data from Information Repositories, as it enables unauthorized access to user account information through administrative interfaces.
The security implications extend beyond simple information disclosure, as this vulnerability could facilitate more sophisticated attacks such as social engineering campaigns or targeted phishing attempts that rely on knowledge of user identities. Attackers could systematically enumerate user accounts to identify potential targets for credential stuffing attacks or to gather intelligence for privilege escalation attempts. The vulnerability affects multiple versions of Wagtail including 4.1.8 (LTS), 5.0.5, and 5.1.3, with the fix included in release candidate 1 of the forthcoming Wagtail 5.2 release. Organizations running affected versions of Wagtail should prioritize upgrading to patched releases as no workarounds exist for this particular vulnerability.
The root cause of this issue stems from inadequate input validation and improper error handling within the Wagtail administrative interface, specifically in the bulk user management functionality. This represents a classic case of insufficient security controls in web application error handling, where error messages inadvertently reveal system information that should remain confidential. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of implementing proper access controls not just for functional operations but also for error responses and information disclosure scenarios. Organizations should implement comprehensive security testing procedures including security code reviews and penetration testing to identify similar weaknesses in their web applications. The patch addresses the core issue by implementing proper permission validation for all administrative endpoints and ensuring that error responses do not disclose sensitive information about system users.