CVE-2023-6805 in RSS Aggregator Plugin
Summary
by MITRE • 04/17/2024
The RSS Aggregator by Feedzy – Feed to Post, Autoblogging, News & YouTube Video Feeds Aggregator plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Blind Server-Side Request Forgery in all versions up to, and including, 4.4.7 via the fetch_feed functionality. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers, with contributor access and above, to make web requests to arbitrary locations originating from the web application and can be used to modify information from internal services. NOTE: This vulnerability, exploitable by contributor-level users, was was fixed in version 4.4.7. The same vulnerability was fixed for author-level users in version 4.4.8.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/23/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2023-6805 affects the RSS Aggregator by Feedzy plugin for WordPress, specifically targeting versions up to and including 4.4.7. This represents a critical security flaw that enables authenticated attackers with contributor-level privileges or higher to exploit a blind server-side request forgery vulnerability through the plugin's fetch_feed functionality. The vulnerability exists within the plugin's handling of external feed data processing, creating a pathway for malicious actors to initiate HTTP requests from the web server hosting the vulnerable WordPress installation. The security implications extend beyond simple data exfiltration as the flaw allows attackers to interact with internal services that may be accessible from the web server's network, potentially exposing sensitive internal systems or data.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs through the plugin's feed aggregation mechanism where the fetch_feed functionality fails to properly validate or sanitize external URLs provided by users. This allows an authenticated contributor to craft malicious feed URLs that, when processed by the plugin, trigger server-side requests to arbitrary destinations. The blind nature of this SSRF vulnerability means that attackers cannot directly observe the responses from their crafted requests, but can still infer success through timing variations or by leveraging the web server's ability to interact with internal services. This vulnerability specifically affects the plugin's ability to handle external data sources without proper input validation, creating an attack surface where user-controllable input directly influences the web server's outbound network communication.
The operational impact of CVE-2023-6805 is significant for WordPress installations using the vulnerable Feedzy plugin, particularly those with contributor-level users who may not be strictly monitored or restricted. Attackers can leverage this vulnerability to perform reconnaissance on internal network services, potentially identifying running services, accessing internal APIs, or even exploiting other vulnerabilities within the internal network that are not directly exposed to the internet. The ability to make arbitrary web requests from the web server's perspective creates opportunities for attackers to bypass traditional network segmentation controls and access systems that should otherwise be isolated from external access. This vulnerability particularly impacts organizations that rely on WordPress for content management and have less strict access controls for lower-level user accounts.
Security mitigations for this vulnerability involve immediate patching of the Feedzy plugin to version 4.4.7 or higher, which addresses the SSRF flaw through proper input validation and sanitization of feed URLs. Organizations should also implement network-level restrictions to prevent the web server from accessing internal services, utilizing firewalls or network segmentation to limit outbound connectivity from the web server. Additionally, monitoring for unusual outbound network requests from the web server can help detect exploitation attempts, though this requires proper logging and alerting mechanisms. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-918, which describes server-side request forgery vulnerabilities, and maps to ATT&CK technique T1071.004 for application layer protocol tunneling, where attackers establish connections through legitimate application functions to access internal resources. Organizations should also consider implementing role-based access controls to limit contributor privileges and regularly audit user accounts to ensure appropriate access levels are maintained.