CVE-2023-48324 in Awesome Support Plugin
Summary
by MITRE • 12/09/2024
Missing Authorization vulnerability in Awesome Support Team Awesome Support allows Exploiting Incorrectly Configured Access Control Security Levels.This issue affects Awesome Support: from n/a through 6.1.4.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/30/2025
The CVE-2023-48324 vulnerability represents a critical missing authorization flaw within the Awesome Support Team Awesome Support plugin, a widely used WordPress support ticketing system. This vulnerability stems from incorrectly configured access control security levels that fail to properly validate user permissions before granting access to sensitive administrative functions. The flaw exists across all versions of the plugin from the initial release through version 6.1.4, indicating a persistent security weakness that has remained unaddressed for an extended period. The vulnerability specifically targets the plugin's authorization mechanisms, allowing unauthorized users to bypass normal access controls and potentially gain elevated privileges within the support system.
This technical flaw operates at the intersection of weak access control implementation and insufficient input validation within the plugin's security architecture. The vulnerability enables attackers to exploit improperly configured access control security levels, which typically should enforce role-based permissions for different user types including administrators, agents, and end users. When access controls are misconfigured, they fail to properly verify whether a user possesses the necessary privileges to perform specific actions within the support system. The issue manifests when legitimate access control checks are either omitted or bypassed during critical operations, allowing unauthorized individuals to execute administrative functions that should be restricted to authorized personnel only.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple unauthorized access to encompass potential complete system compromise and data exposure. Attackers who successfully exploit this weakness can manipulate support tickets, view confidential customer information, modify user accounts, and potentially execute arbitrary code within the WordPress environment. The vulnerability's persistence across multiple versions suggests that the underlying architectural flaw has not been properly addressed, creating a sustained risk for all affected installations. Organizations using the Awesome Support plugin may experience unauthorized access to support ticket data, customer communications, and potentially sensitive business information, leading to compliance violations and reputational damage.
Security professionals should consider this vulnerability in the context of CWE-285, which addresses improper authorization within software systems, and align it with ATT&CK technique T1078 for valid accounts and T1566 for credential harvesting. The vulnerability's classification as a missing authorization issue aligns with common attack patterns where insufficient access control validation leads to privilege escalation and unauthorized system manipulation. Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including updating to the latest patched version of the plugin, reviewing and hardening access control configurations, and conducting comprehensive security audits of all WordPress installations. Additionally, network segmentation and monitoring solutions should be deployed to detect and prevent unauthorized access attempts, while regular security assessments should be performed to identify similar misconfigurations in other plugins and system components.