CVE-2023-51470 in Rencontre Plugin
Summary
by MITRE • 12/29/2023
Deserialization of Untrusted Data vulnerability in Jacques Malgrange Rencontre – Dating Site.This issue affects Rencontre – Dating Site: from n/a through 3.11.1.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/21/2024
The CVE-2023-51470 vulnerability represents a critical deserialization of untrusted data flaw within the Rencontre – Dating Site plugin for WordPress. This vulnerability falls under the CWE-502 category, which specifically addresses deserialization vulnerabilities where untrusted data is processed through serialization mechanisms without proper validation or sanitization. The affected plugin version range indicates that all versions from the initial release through 3.11.1 are susceptible to this security weakness, creating a substantial attack surface for potential exploitation.
The technical flaw manifests when the plugin processes serialized data from user inputs or external sources without adequate security checks. When malicious actors submit specially crafted serialized objects, the application's deserialization process can execute arbitrary code or manipulate the application's behavior in unintended ways. This vulnerability typically occurs when the application uses PHP's unserialize() function or similar deserialization mechanisms to process data from untrusted sources such as HTTP parameters, cookies, or file uploads. The lack of input validation and proper sanitization creates an environment where attackers can inject malicious payloads that execute within the context of the web application.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe and multifaceted, as it can lead to complete system compromise and unauthorized access to sensitive user data. Attackers exploiting this weakness could potentially gain remote code execution capabilities, allowing them to upload malicious files, modify database contents, or establish persistent backdoors within the dating site infrastructure. Given that this is a dating site platform, the compromised data could include personal user information, relationship details, contact information, and potentially sensitive communications between users. The vulnerability also poses risks to the site's reputation and could result in compliance violations under data protection regulations such as GDPR or CCPA, as user privacy and data security are paramount in such platforms.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability should begin with immediate patching of the Rencontre – Dating Site plugin to version 3.11.2 or later, which contains the necessary security fixes. Organizations should implement strict input validation and sanitization measures, particularly around any data processing that involves deserialization operations. The principle of least privilege should be enforced, ensuring that serialized data processing occurs only with trusted sources and that proper access controls are in place. Network segmentation and monitoring solutions should be deployed to detect anomalous deserialization activities or unusual data processing patterns. Additionally, implementing web application firewalls and content security policies can provide additional layers of protection against exploitation attempts. Regular security audits and vulnerability assessments should be conducted to identify similar issues in other plugins or components of the WordPress ecosystem, as this type of vulnerability is commonly found in legacy applications that have not been properly updated or secured against modern attack vectors. The ATT&CK framework categorizes this vulnerability under T1548.001 (Abuse Elevation Control Mechanism) and T1059.007 (Command and Scripting Interpreter: PowerShell) when exploited for remote code execution, highlighting the potential for privilege escalation and persistent access within compromised systems.