CVE-2024-37095 in Envira Photo Gallery Plugin
Summary
by MITRE • 11/01/2024
Missing Authorization vulnerability in Envira Gallery Team Envira Photo Gallery allows Exploiting Incorrectly Configured Access Control Security Levels.This issue affects Envira Photo Gallery: from n/a through 1.8.7.3.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/01/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2024-37095 represents a critical missing authorization flaw within the Envira Photo Gallery plugin, specifically affecting versions ranging from an unspecified starting point through 1.8.7.3. This issue stems from incorrectly configured access control security levels that permit unauthorized users to exploit functionality that should be restricted to privileged administrators. The vulnerability falls under the CWE-862 category of "Missing Authorization" which is classified as a fundamental access control weakness where the system fails to properly verify that an actor has sufficient permissions to perform a requested operation. From an operational security perspective, this misconfiguration creates a pathway for attackers to bypass intended access controls and gain unauthorized access to gallery management features that should remain protected from general users or unauthenticated visitors.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability manifests in the plugin's failure to properly validate user permissions before executing sensitive operations within the Envira Photo Gallery system. When users attempt to access or modify gallery configurations, upload images, or manage gallery settings, the system does not adequately verify whether the requesting user possesses the necessary administrative privileges. This flaw can be exploited by malicious actors who gain access to the WordPress site through various means such as credential theft, social engineering, or other initial compromise vectors. The vulnerability particularly impacts the team environment functionality of the plugin where multiple users with different permission levels exist, creating opportunities for privilege escalation attacks. Attackers can leverage this weakness to perform unauthorized modifications to gallery configurations, potentially leading to data corruption, unauthorized content exposure, or even complete compromise of the gallery management interface.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple unauthorized access to encompass potential data integrity and confidentiality risks within the WordPress environment. When attackers can bypass access controls for gallery management functions, they may be able to manipulate gallery settings, upload malicious content, or alter existing gallery configurations in ways that could affect site performance or user experience. This vulnerability particularly affects WordPress sites that rely heavily on visual content management and user-generated galleries, where the exposure of unauthorized administrative functions could lead to significant reputational damage or data breaches. The issue creates a persistent security risk that remains active until the plugin is updated to properly implement authorization checks, making it particularly dangerous for sites with active user bases or those handling sensitive visual content. Security professionals should consider this vulnerability in their risk assessments and prioritize remediation efforts as it represents a direct violation of the principle of least privilege that is fundamental to secure system design.
Organizations affected by this vulnerability should immediately implement mitigations including updating to the latest version of the Envira Photo Gallery plugin where the authorization checks have been properly implemented. The remediation process should also include reviewing existing user permissions and access controls within the WordPress environment to ensure that only authorized administrators have access to gallery management functions. Security monitoring should be enhanced to detect unusual access patterns or unauthorized attempts to modify gallery configurations. Additionally, organizations should conduct comprehensive security audits of their WordPress plugins and themes to identify similar authorization flaws that may exist in other components of their web applications. The vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of proper access control implementation and serves as a reminder that even seemingly minor configuration issues can create significant security risks in web applications. This flaw aligns with ATT&CK technique T1078.004 which covers valid accounts and T1484.001 which addresses domain policy modification, highlighting how unauthorized access to administrative functions can enable broader compromise of the affected systems.