CVE-2023-47769 in WP Maintenance Plugin
Summary
by MITRE • 06/04/2024
Authentication Bypass by Spoofing vulnerability in WP Maintenance allows Accessing Functionality Not Properly Constrained by ACLs.This issue affects WP Maintenance: from n/a through 6.1.3.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/04/2024
The CVE-2023-47769 vulnerability represents a critical authentication bypass flaw within the WP Maintenance plugin for WordPress systems. This vulnerability stems from improper input validation and insufficient access control mechanisms that allow unauthenticated users to exploit specific functionality within the plugin. The issue manifests as an authentication bypass by spoofing, where malicious actors can manipulate system parameters to gain unauthorized access to administrative features that should be restricted to authorized personnel only. The vulnerability affects versions of WP Maintenance ranging from the initial release through version 6.1.3, indicating a prolonged period during which systems remained exposed to this security weakness.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability involves a failure in the plugin's access control enforcement mechanisms, specifically within the authentication flow. When users interact with the maintenance plugin's administrative interfaces, the system should verify proper authorization before granting access to sensitive functions. However, due to flawed validation routines, attackers can spoof authentication tokens or manipulate request parameters to bypass these security checks. This flaw aligns with CWE-285, which addresses improper authorization issues in software systems, and represents a direct violation of the principle of least privilege that should govern all access control implementations. The vulnerability operates by exploiting weaknesses in how the plugin validates user credentials and session management, allowing unauthorized individuals to execute administrative operations through carefully crafted requests.
The operational impact of CVE-2023-47769 extends beyond simple unauthorized access, as it provides attackers with potential pathways to compromise entire WordPress installations. Once authenticated through this bypass, malicious actors can modify plugin settings, access sensitive configuration data, manipulate maintenance schedules, and potentially escalate privileges to gain full administrative control over the affected WordPress sites. This vulnerability directly maps to ATT&CK technique T1078.004, which covers legitimate credentials usage, and T1566.001, representing spearphishing with malicious attachments, as attackers may use this vulnerability to establish persistent access. The exposure period of multiple versions suggests that organizations running affected plugin versions faced prolonged risk without detection, potentially allowing attackers to establish backdoors, exfiltrate data, or deploy additional malware.
Organizations affected by this vulnerability should immediately implement mitigation strategies including immediate plugin updates to version 6.1.4 or later, which contains the necessary patches to address the authentication bypass issue. System administrators should also conduct thorough security audits of affected WordPress installations, reviewing access logs for suspicious activity and implementing additional monitoring controls to detect unauthorized access attempts. Network segmentation and firewall rules should be configured to restrict access to administrative interfaces, while multi-factor authentication should be enabled where possible to add additional layers of protection. The vulnerability highlights the importance of proper input validation and access control implementation, aligning with security frameworks such as NIST SP 800-53 control AC-3, which emphasizes the need for least privilege access control. Regular security assessments and vulnerability scanning should be implemented to identify similar weaknesses in other plugins and system components, ensuring comprehensive protection against similar authentication bypass vulnerabilities.