CVE-2023-5799 in WP Hotel Booking Plugin
Summary
by MITRE • 11/20/2023
The WP Hotel Booking WordPress plugin before 2.0.8 does not have proper authorisation when deleting a package, allowing Contributor and above roles to delete posts that do no belong to them
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 12/14/2023
The WP Hotel Booking WordPress plugin vulnerability CVE-2023-5799 represents a critical authorization flaw that undermines the security model of WordPress sites utilizing this booking plugin. This issue affects versions prior to 2.0.8 and specifically targets the plugin's handling of package deletion operations. The vulnerability stems from insufficient access control mechanisms that fail to properly validate user permissions when processing delete requests for booking packages. Contributors and users with higher roles in the WordPress hierarchy can exploit this weakness to remove content that is not owned by them, effectively bypassing the standard WordPress capability system that should restrict such operations to content authors or administrators.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability lies in the plugin's failure to perform proper capability checks before executing deletion operations. When a user attempts to delete a package through the plugin's administrative interface or API endpoints, the system does not verify whether the requesting user has the appropriate permissions to modify or remove that specific content. This authorization bypass allows users with contributor-level access or above to manipulate posts and packages that fall outside their normal scope of control, creating a significant security risk for hotel booking websites that rely on this plugin. The flaw operates at the application level and directly violates fundamental security principles of least privilege and proper access control enforcement.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data loss, as it enables unauthorized users to disrupt booking operations and potentially compromise the integrity of hotel reservation systems. Attackers with contributor accounts or higher can delete legitimate booking packages, causing service disruptions for hotel staff and guests who rely on the booking system. This unauthorized deletion capability also creates potential for data manipulation attacks where malicious actors might delete specific packages to hide evidence of their activities or to disrupt business operations. The vulnerability affects the availability and integrity aspects of the CIA triad, as it allows for both unauthorized data modification and potential denial of service conditions through strategic package deletion.
This vulnerability maps directly to CWE-285, which addresses improper authorization issues in software systems, and aligns with ATT&CK technique T1078.004 for valid accounts, as it allows users with legitimate but elevated privileges to perform unauthorized actions. The weakness demonstrates poor input validation and access control implementation that violates WordPress security best practices. Organizations using the WP Hotel Booking plugin should immediately update to version 2.0.8 or later to address this issue, as the patch likely implements proper capability checks and ensures that deletion operations require appropriate permissions based on the content owner. Additionally, administrators should review user roles and capabilities within their WordPress installations to minimize the risk of unauthorized access to administrative functions. The vulnerability highlights the importance of proper security testing for third-party plugins and the necessity of maintaining up-to-date software versions to protect against known exploitation vectors.