CVE-2024-31095 in Thumbs Rating Plugin
Summary
by MITRE • 04/01/2024
Authorization Bypass Through User-Controlled Key vulnerability in Ricard Torres Thumbs Rating.This issue affects Thumbs Rating: from n/a through 5.1.0.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/01/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2024-31095 represents a critical authorization bypass flaw within the Ricard Torres Thumbs Rating plugin, which is widely used for implementing rating systems on wordpress websites. This issue manifests as an authorization bypass through user-controlled key, allowing unauthorized users to manipulate the rating functionality and potentially gain elevated privileges within the affected system. The vulnerability exists across all versions of the plugin from the initial release through version 5.1.0, indicating a prolonged exposure window that could have allowed extensive exploitation. The affected plugin operates within the wordpress ecosystem, making it a prime target for attackers seeking to compromise content management systems that rely on user-generated rating features. This authorization bypass vulnerability fundamentally undermines the security model of the plugin by allowing malicious actors to circumvent intended access controls and manipulate rating data.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from improper validation of user inputs within the plugin's rating mechanism. When users interact with the rating system, the plugin processes user-controlled data that should be validated against proper authorization checks before executing any rating modifications. However, the flaw allows attackers to manipulate the key parameters that control rating access, effectively bypassing the authentication and authorization mechanisms that should protect the rating functionality. This type of vulnerability aligns with CWE-285, which describes improper authorization conditions in software systems, and specifically relates to the broader category of authorization bypass vulnerabilities. The user-controlled key aspect indicates that attackers can manipulate specific parameters within the plugin's API or interface to gain unauthorized access to rating controls that should be restricted to authenticated administrators or specific user roles.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data manipulation, potentially enabling attackers to compromise the entire rating system and underlying wordpress installation. Unauthorized users could flood the system with fake ratings, manipulate existing rating data, or potentially escalate privileges to perform administrative actions within the plugin's scope. The vulnerability's presence in versions up to 5.1.0 suggests that organizations using wordpress sites with this plugin were exposed to significant risk for an extended period, as attackers could exploit this weakness to undermine the credibility of user ratings and potentially gain further access to the wordpress administration interface. This authorization bypass could also serve as a stepping stone for more sophisticated attacks, allowing threat actors to establish persistent access or gather sensitive information from the rating database. The impact is particularly severe in environments where user-generated content ratings are trusted for decision-making processes or where the plugin integrates with other systems that rely on the integrity of rating data.
Organizations affected by CVE-2024-31095 should immediately implement comprehensive mitigations to protect their wordpress installations from exploitation. The primary remediation involves updating the Thumbs Rating plugin to the latest available version that contains the patched authorization controls. Security administrators should also implement additional monitoring of rating-related API endpoints and user activity logs to detect potential exploitation attempts. Network-level controls such as web application firewalls can provide additional protection by filtering suspicious requests that attempt to manipulate rating parameters. The vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of proper input validation and authorization checks in web applications, aligning with ATT&CK technique T1078 for valid accounts and T1566 for credential harvesting. Organizations should also conduct thorough security assessments of all wordpress plugins to identify similar authorization bypass vulnerabilities, as this issue highlights the common pattern of insufficient access control validation in user-facing web interfaces. Regular security updates and vulnerability scanning should become standard practice to prevent similar issues from persisting in the wordpress plugin ecosystem.